It’s not that I am a fantastic writer. In fact, sometimes, I think I am far from it and can’t help feeling humbled whenever a good writeup is stumbled-upon. But if people asked me what keeps my blogging going, I would say one thing. Talking to people. And reading.

That’s two things but they are related. A writer who stops reading or talking to people will eventually end up with a dry well. How many things in your everyday life can you find to spark something off in your head? One? Three? And if you are lucky enough to find them, it is prudent to write them down. In most instances, it is hard to find topics to write about.

Just ask any regular blogger or writer – is it easy? Nope. Is it fun? Sometimes, yes, sometimes……

Get into new topics

Over time, bloggers change, their lifestyle changes or there is an upheaval at home (the blogger is, I assume, HUMAN) so, things change and they will find it difficult to continue writing in the same tone or about the same topics. It is POSSIBLE, but rarely easy.

When there is communication with others, new ideas hit you. A neighbor gets a new dog and you get a new topic – why you will NEVER get a dog. Your sister tells you about her boyfriend’s job loss – why you should never assume your job is going to last your forever.

Polishing up your skills in the writing terrain

I have written countless times before about how a easy it is to lose that spark. You write and write and write…and you end up having been writing for the past decade. To say that the writing or blogging might become lifeless at the end of the decade is an understatement. Some people who used to blog or write regularly, end up not writing anything anymore or produce sub-par write-ups.

Bookmark your favorite sites up

Based on my experience, writers should bookmark their favorite blogs or websites up on their favorite browser and then visit them once a day. Not all of them in one day, just pick one. Or place the RSS feed up on Google Reader.

Different writers with different writing styles will give you new words to use. It is not uncommon for people to KNOW a word and have not used those particular words at all in their writing. We turn into writers who write with a limited number of words. Not that it will make a world of difference to the article if there wasn’t any meat in it but it gives your fans a new interest.

So, grow. Don’t stop reading if you want to continue writing.

Marsha Maung is a Malaysian-based [http://www.marshamaung.me]freelance writer with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her [http://www.marshamaung.blogspot.com]blog for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef…and just about everything else under the sun

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?If-You-Want-To-Continue-Writing,-Dont-Stop-Reading&id=6432250] If You Want To Continue Writing, Don’t Stop Reading

The job market is vast and rapidly changing. The important thing to remember is that job opportunities always exist, whatever the state of the economy. The key is finding out where they are.

In this article we describe the five routes into the job market: the “visible” routes of advertisements, recruitment consultants and the Internet and the “hidden” routes of personal contacts and direct approaches.

Why are many jobs never advertised?

There are several possible reasons:

• the decision to recruit might not have yet been made

• the need to recruit has not yet been identified

• the cost of advertising is too high

• recruitment can be carried out more quickly via the hidden market.

Examine every option

Whatever your experience or expertise, it is important to mount a balanced campaign using all approaches to the job market: advertisements, agencies and Internet as well as personal contacts and direct approaches. The amount of time and effort you devote to each route will vary according to your industry, job function, the level of competition and your own situation.

Advertised vacancies

In the visible job market, advertisements attract a large number of applicants who then have to be reduced to a small number of interviewees. This makes the visible market highly competitive. When they have large numbers of job applicants, employers or their recruitment agents, will scrutinise applications closely, looking for reasons to ‘weed’ people out.

This is another reason why your job applications (whatever form they may take) should be well written, free of spelling mistakes, relevant to the role and explicit about what you can bring to the role (whilst we do not suggest embellishment of any kind, there is no room for modesty in a job search!)

Recruitment consultants

Broadly speaking, recruitment consultants are paid by employers to find the right person to fit a particular job, which means that they will not generally be interested in canvassing employers on your behalf. Having said that, they do develop close relationships with some clients and may be aware of an imminent job opportunity.

Using the internet

The Internet can be used to access many types of material including advertisements, corporate and general company information. By reading trade and general publications you will be presented with Internet website addresses for agencies, recruitment consultants, publications, job servers, trade associations and much more.

Personal contacts

Working in the ‘hidden’ employment market allows you to remain in control and to make things happen. If you have made a direct approach or been introduced by a contact, you may be the only “real” candidate, even if the position is subsequently advertised.

Taking a balanced approach into searching for a new job is the best way to find work. Explore all of the possibilities available for you. If you are concerned about finding work or would like more information and [http://www.careeranalysts.co.uk/]career advice, contact Career Analysts.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Where-Should-I-Search-for-a-Job?&id=6202116] Where Should I Search for a Job?

Effective college study skills are critical for college success. There is no one size fits all method of studying, but one thing that is likely true: the study habits you had in high school will probably be inadequate at the college level. Developing good study skills from the beginning will start you off on the path toward success in your college years.

Study the material before you go to class. This may not have been necessary in high school. But with the amount and depth of material covered in each class at the college level, you will be behind before class even starts if you do not take time to become acquainted with the material before you step into the classroom. You will be relieved, if not pleasantly surprised, at how much easier you will absorb the lecture in class when you have made the effort to familiarize yourself with the subject beforehand.

Study every day. Studies show that students who take time to study every day fare better than students with more sporadic study habits, and much better than those who cram. How much time should you study? A rule of thumb for effective college study skills is to devote three hours a week for homework and studying for each credit hour. If your biology class is three credit hours, then you should spend approximately 15 hours a week on homework and studying outside the classroom. If you are taking a total of 15 credit hours, then you should be spending upwards of 45 hours per week on homework and studying. When you think about it, committing to a daily study schedule is really the only option you have for getting in all the hours needed for studying and homework each week.

Take an active role with your studying. College study skills require more than just reading. Highlight the material, take notes, make outlines, even quiz yourself or have a friend quiz you. Take a cue from grade school and use flashcards. These are good strategies to apply whether you are studying new material to prepare for class, studying after class for reinforcement, or preparing for an exam. Actively studying on a daily basis will help you comprehend and retain the material.

Adjust your study habits as needed. In the beginning you may go through trial and error as you figure out a system that works. You may find that some classes do not require as much studying as you originally thought but others require more of your time than you anticipated. Keep making the necessary changes until you have developed a system that meets your needs.

Plan, plan, plan. Effective time management is your best ally. Good college study skills require managing your time, and this takes planning. Take the time to plan and organize your days and weeks to allocate sufficient time for homework, studying, and other critical tasks. This is essential. If you are taking a full course load, then the amount of time you must devote to homework and studying each week is the equivalent of a full time job, and that is in addition to the time you spend in class. If you do not have a schedule to manage all of this then you will suffer for it.

Plan the first week and see how things go. Make any necessary adjustments for the following week, and continue adjusting until you have devised a plan that works. Include 15 minutes before the end of each day to review the next day’s schedule. You will be surprised at how helpful a step this can be. Doing this before the end of the day will come in handy in case you overlooked something you need for tomorrow that must be taken care of today. At the very least you will minimize surprises, even save yourself some grief, and at best, you will be totally prepared for tomorrow’s undertakings. A word of caution: do not schedule your days so tightly that you have no flexibility to deal with the unexpected. Leave a little wiggle room to accommodate those unanticipated situations that inevitably crop up.

With some up-front investment in time and effort, you can acquire effective college study skills that will pay off with good grades.

Developing good college study skills requires more than what can be explained in a short article. Visit http://www.college-success-strategies.com to learn about street-smart strategies for college success.

Article Source: College Study Skills – 5 Strategies For Improvement

Mungkin banyak persoalan yang anda ingin tahu mengenai pinjaman PTPTN ini. Dan kebanyakan persoalan itu, ada jawapannya daripada PTPTN. Berikut adalah  antara lain persoalan lazim mengenai PTPTN yang dipetik daripada laman web PTPTN sendiri:-

• Saya tidak lulus Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) tetapi diterima masuk ke IPT berdasarkan kelayakan masuk lain seperti sijil. Bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman?

• Saya lulus SPM tetapi tidak mempunyai 3 kepujian dan telah diterima masuk ke IPT. Bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman?

• Saya telah berumur 46 tahun semasa permohonan dibuat. Adakah saya layak untuk memohon pinjaman?

• Saya belum membuka akaun Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional (SSPN). Adakah saya layak memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Saya telah berkahwin. Adakah saya perlu mempunyai penjaga?

• Adakah saya perlu mempunyai penjamin semasa membuat pemohonan pinjaman dan siapakah yang layak menjadi penjamin?

• Saya ditawarkan mengikuti pengajian peringkat “bridging” di Politeknik. Adakah saya layak memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Saya telah menamatkan pengajian peringkat Ijazah Pertama dengan mendapat pinjaman PTPTN. Sekiranya saya ingin mengikuti pengajian dalam bidang lain di peringkat diploma, bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Saya ingin mengikuti pengajian pada peringkat Sarjana (Master) atau Doktor Falsafah (PhD) atau Kursus Profesional di IPTS, bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Saya mengikuti pengajian secara separuh masa di IPT tempatan. Adakah saya layak mendapat pinjaman?

• Saya ingin mengikuti Pengajian Jarak Jauh (PJJ) di IPT tempatan. Bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman?

• Saya telah mendapat tawaran untuk melanjutkan pengajian ke luar negara. Bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Bolehkah saya memohon pinjaman bagi program 2+1 yang dijalankan secara usahasama dengan IPT luar negara. Program pengajian ini dijalankan selama 2 tahun di dalam negara dan 1 tahun di luar negara?

• Saya sedang belajar di semester kedua dan ingin memohon pinjaman PTPTN. Bolehkah saya mendapat pinjaman bermula semester satu?

• Saya mempunyai lebih dari satu (1) keputusan SPM, adakah saya boleh menggabungkan kesemua keputusan ini untuk memohon pinjaman PTPTN?

• Saya telah kehilangan sijil SPM. Bolehkah saya menggunakan salinan transkrip (slip) SPM untuk memohon pinjaman?

Jawapan-jawapan  Soalan-Soalan Lazim PTPTN di atas boleh didapati di laman web mereka di http://www.ptptn.gov.my

Mungkin banyak lagi persoalan anda mengenai PTPTN yang tidak tercatat di sini. Jangan risau kerana pihak PTPTN telah memudahkan carian anda dengan menyediakan persoalan-persoalan yang biasa ditanya oleh para pemohon PTPTN dengan jawapannya sekali. Dengan itu proses permohonan PTPTN anda akan berjalan dengan lebih lancar lagi.

Step 1. Terminate programs running automatically on laptop computer startup. This can speed up your laptop boost up speed effectively. If you download and install programs frequently, there should be many programs running automatically when you start it. That is why your laptop takes too long to let you enter the whole system every time. Try the first step to speed up your laptop performance.

Step 2. Run a disk defrag for your system. How long haven’t you detected and cleaned up system fragment? Obviously, fragment in system will slow down the laptop speed and bring more sluggishness to your laptop computer. I highly recommend you run disk defrag once a month to avoid system errors caused by the fragment. You will see that the laptop performance would be speeded up when you clean up fragment regularly.

Step 3.  Eliminate registry problems to enhance your laptop speed. This is the most important step you should take to speed your laptop up. Because few of people would realize that registry problems can slow system down. In fact, nearly 80% slow laptop computer issue are related to registry errors. Cleaning up corrupted, invalid and malicious registry entries will not only speed up your laptop but also help you prevent laptop freezes, blue screen of death and system crashes in the future.

Now, are you clear about how to speed up laptop? If you still feel hard or have no time to fix your laptop problems, I strongly suggest you visit the best laptop repair tool in 2010 and it is also my personal choice to help you speed up slow laptop perfectly.

Article Source: Speed Up My Laptop – How to Speed Up Your Laptop in Minutes

What you eat makes a spectacular difference in the way your brain functions. It is critical that you always remember this:

Your brain is part of your body.

What you put in your body you put in your brain.

If you eat junk you feed your brain junk. Have you noticed that all around the country schools are rising up? They fight the junk in the school cafeterias and are getting rid of junk fast food and sodas. Instead they feed the children whole foods, vegetables, whole grains etc.

You know what happens to the children as a result?
Test scores go up,
School kids can sit still and…
Pay attention.

Who knew that children can sit still in school and concentrate.

I say again:

What you put into your body you put into your brain.

You have to understand that this is great news. It means that you can greatly influence your brain simply by choosing the right food.

So what is the best food for your brain?

First of all stop feeding your brain junk.

No more sugar or highly refined starches, in particular high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is everywhere. It is a form of sugar that enters your blood stream quickly, but your brain does not register it as food. So you stay hungry while your blood sugar is going up.

Also, get rid of all food that contain transfatty acids. These artificial fats replace healthy fats in your brain. Your brain needs healthy fats, primarily omega-3 fatty acids. Transfats invade your brain and are dangerous for your brain health.

Why are these: hfcs and trans fatty acids in your food?

In two words: shelf life!

Without these food will perish, as it should. Put a slice of bread on the counter, and in a few days, mold will grow. Do the same with crackers and mold won’t grow. Molds consider whole bread as food, but not crackers. And as it is not food to molds, nor is it food to you.

What is good food for your brain?

First, eat whole foods, concentrate on vegetables and have whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Colorful fruit berries are high in anti- oxidants. Finally, you cannot eat enough omega-3 fatty acids. There is no need to eat salmon everyday. Let’s not overfish the salmon. Also, no farm raised fish, which contains far less of healthy fats. Very good and cheap sources are sardines and anchovies, and if you take a supplement, take a look at krill oil. Krill is the most abundant food source in the world.

Vegetarians need to eat flax and hemp, and other nuts and seeds. You should grind the flax, and eat at least one tablespoon per day. Walnuts are great as well. Make sure you take sufficient vitamin b and zinc. You can find these in grass-fed beef dairy and eggs. Vegetarian options are terrific and include nuts, seeds, bean, green vegetables. Vitamin b12 is key for vegetarians, but you knew that.

Always remember, what you put in your body you put in your brain. [http://brainafter50.com]Niels Teunis, Ph.D..

If you want to grow old with dignity, continue to live independently in your own home, and keep driving your own car… Without relying on prescription drugs or boring brain exercises… Then you will be ecstatic to hear that the science is in.

Modern day science is very clear. Dementia is not your fate. Your brain is making new braincells all the time.

To read more, visit: [http://brainafter50.com]http://brainafter50.com.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Is-the-Best-Brain-Food?&id=5079457] What Is the Best Brain Food?

It’s Monday morning. In any office, in any given city, you can find an ample amount of people who are suffering from that dreaded condition called “Monday Morning Blues.”

The exact origin of this condition is unclear. Does is it start the moment we open our eyes on Monday morning? Or does it slowly rise up as night falls on Sunday? More importantly, how do we cure it? This article will offer some solutions and tips on how to cure your Monday Morning Blues so that you can become a more productive and happier worker.

1. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET

Professor Charles Areni conducted research lead by a team of psychologists from the University of Sydney who collected mood information from hundreds of people, asking them for their worst and best morning and evening of the week and had this to say about the Monday Morning Blues:

“The Monday morning blues and ‘Thank God it’s Friday attitude’ are largely inaccurate theories of how moods vary when they actually don’t,” he reported in News.com.au. “Mondays are not actually blue at all, but we persist in the belief that they are.” Areni added.

In offices all around America, people approach Monday with the mindset of “getting through” the week. In that scenario, Monday becomes the first stepping stone in an uphill battle. If you hold that perspective, then you inevitably begin your week feeling down. Sure there is work that is awaiting you – some of which you may not be looking forward to; projects that need to be completed; assignments that you dread; and co-workers that you don’t like. By focusing on what you want to accomplish in the upcoming week instead of merely getting through it, your mindset will inevitably change.

2. ADDRESS YOUR BASIC NEEDS

Professor Areni’s research indicates that the real low point of the week was Wednesday (“aka” hump day), not Monday, and that mood change and attitude was only slight for other days. He said the day-of-the-week stereotypes stemmed from a cultural belief that people were generally happier when they were free to choose their activities compared to when they were sitting at a desk.

My research indicates that those who are less susceptible to the Monday Morning Blues are those who have jobs which fulfill their most basic work needs which are: autonomy, the need for competency, and the need for relatedness. Seeking more freedom in your job and being empowered with the ability to make choices regarding how your work is done, is a major component to job satisfaction. Feeling good about doing your job to the best of your ability is also key. Finally, finding people who can relate to you and your work challenges is crucial and underestimated. If there is no one within your organization who fits this description, befriend someone similar at a neighboring company who does.

3. GET OVER HUMP DAY – LITERALLY

“Monday morning is remembered and predicted to be the worst part of the week because it is the first work day after two days of free time, and because four work days follow before the next period of free time,” he said. “Likewise, Friday evening is the best part of the week because it marks the beginning of an extended period of free time, he added.

It sounds obvious, but on a subconscious level, this thinking undermines and disrupts our focus and ability to be “in the now”. It would make sense that Wednesday is referred to as “hump day” since most workers, as previously stated, are merely trying to get through the week or climb some long, steep, imaginary hill that they long to “get over”. Hump day symbolizes the peak at which point the climb gets easier because in theory, it’s all downhill from there. When you effectively focus on reaching goals for the week, you will find that hump day all but disappears when you are humping your butt off while trying to accomplish your goals.

4. MAXIMIZE YOUR WEEKEND DURING THE WEEK

Most people dread Sundays because they know that Monday is just around the corner. This leaves Saturday as the only true weekend day. Recent surveys confirm this. A whopping 72 per cent of those polled spend up to four hours doing chores on a Sunday, which includes 31 per cent attempting to get through the laundry, 24 per cent cleaning the kitchen and 14 per cent changing the bed.

Not only is this counterproductive in terms of preventing the Monday Morning Blues, but it also decreases weekend enjoyment. By executing mundane household chores during the week, you free up valuable weekend time which can be spent in a more productive or leisurely fashion – right up until Sunday night.

4. SLEEP LESS, PLAY MORE

A new study has found that lazy Saturday and Sunday lie-ins can disturb your body clock, leaving you fatigued at the start of the week. Flinders University sleep expert Leon Lack said people often used the weekend to catch up on sleep lost during the week. He notes: “We’ve discovered that these sleep-ins are actually putting your body out of whack enough to change your Sunday night bedtime and set you up for Monday blues,” Professor Lack told AAP.

His research team tested the theory by tracking 16 people over a weekend, asking them to go to bed a little later than they would on a weeknight but sleeping-in an extra two hours. By comparing saliva samples and hormone tests he found participants’ body clocks had been delayed by 45 minutes.

“That might not sound like a lot but it means that you’re not quite as sleepy on Sunday night at the normal bedtime and you’ll be much sleepier the next day,” Prof Lack said. Questionnaires completed on Monday and Tuesday showed much higher levels of self-reported fatigue and tiredness compared with pre-sleep in days. This was because the subjects’ circadian rhythms – which determine patterns of alertness and tiredness – had been disturbed, creating an effect similar to jet lag. By mid-week (hump day) most people manage to get back on track but then they start staying up later, getting into “debt” once again and perpetuating the cycle.

If the weekend is a time to play, get up early and do it. You will keep your body’s clock attuned to your “normal” wake-up time, and get the maximum use of your minimal free time.

5. BALANCE OUT YOUR MONDAYS

If you ride public transportation you know that it’s a much less gregarious atmosphere on your train, bus, or carpool on Mondays. People don’t engage in conversation as readily as they do on Fridays. It’s no surprise that people smile less on Mondays than they do on Fridays. We all know that smiles invite friendliness or at least friendly interactions.

Put an activity on your Monday schedule (yes, regardless of how hectic your Mondays are) that will afford you the opportunity for some friendly interaction. Whether it’s having lunch with a friend, making a donation of some kind, or sending a personal email to say hello to someone – do something that balances your work demands against your personal needs to give you something to look forward to at the beginning of the week.

Using these tips should make your Mondays a little brighter, and a little more enjoyable.

Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as career planning, public relations, and personal growth.

Article Source: How to Cure the Monday Morning Blues

It was motivational speaker Zig Ziglar who said, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” Does the same still hold true today? More employers are reporting that college graduates are entering the workforce with an “attitude” of entitlement. They want the six figure salary, 4 weeks of vacation, and a corner office before they prove or accomplish anything.

While it may seem like a preposterous notion to those who are descendants of a different culture, generation, or mindset, there are many people who have attitudes (not exclusively of entitlement) which do not engender good will. In fact, many of these, what I will call “counterproductive” attitudes, are based on a false sense of self-esteem.

Self-esteem is defined as a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. The self-esteem is false when one confuses potential with credentials. If there are no credentials, we can not properly gage aptitude. But many college grads believe or subscribe to the philosophy that it’s best to “fake it till you make it” and they project a demeanor that’s consistent with, or reflective of, those who have actually achieved what they hope or have the potential achieve.

Or do they?

A random sampling of companies that offer internships/apprentice positions reveals that they prefer neophytes to be long on inquisitiveness, and short on haughtiness. A counterproductive attitude gets in the way of learning, and building relationships.

Employers may become easily enamored with potential and credentials, but a positive “can-do” attitude is often listed at the top of employee characteristics that employers value. So much so, that employers state that they will take a less qualified (i.e. less experienced) candidate with a great attitude who shows promise to be a good fit, over a candidate who is more qualified (i.e. has greater credentials on paper). They get a bargain. You get an opportunity to expand and fulfill your potential.

A bad attitude is like a wet towel; it’s heavier to carry and harder to handle. Even though it has the same appearance as a dry towel, your experience with it is cumbersome and generally unpleasant. People don’t like handling wet towels – not even at pools. If you find that people tend to keep their distance, or that they bypass opportunities to work with you, you may be the aforementioned wet towel.

Many wet towels are not aware of the fact that they are wet. Some are, and are perfectly fine with their condition. They tend to compensate with their aptitude. They will contend that those who lack credentials tend to compensate with their (positive) attitude. Whatever the case, employers don’t consider attitude and aptitude an either/or proposition. Much like beauty and brains, people want both – when possible.

No where in our society is attitude and aptitude more on display, and at a premium, than in professional sports. In a culture where “winning is everything,” attitude takes a backseat to aptitude, or does it?

The heralded team player is a person who is willing to put his needs and personal glory second to that of the team he plays for. He’s valuable. He’s rare. He seldom has the greatest athletic aptitude of any player on the team, but usually has the greatest attitude. His presence is felt by all, his absence impacts many. He does what he’s required do, and happily does more than the job requires because he knows the difference it makes in winning.

This combination of aptitude and attitude can determine the altitude of your success. Zig Ziglar is still on point. And so are those who understand this.

Gian Fiero is an educator, speaker and consultant who specializes in business development, career planning, and personal growth issues.

Article Source: Attitude & Aptitude – Keys to Your Success

I’ve always been intrigued by the subject of intelligence. As a child my mother would refer to me as “smart,” but I quickly noticed that all parents refer to their children as smart. In time I would discover that all children are not smart, just as all babies are not cute. If that were the case, we’d have a world full of beautiful, smart people – which we don’t.

Some of us are smart; but not as smart as we think, and others are smarter than they seem, which makes me wonder, how do we define smart? What makes one person smarter than another? When do “street smarts” matter more than “book smarts”? Can you be both smart and stupid? Is being smart more of a direct influence of genetics, or one’s environment?

Then there are the issues of education, intelligence and wisdom.

What does it mean to be highly educated? What’s the difference between being highly educated and highly intelligent? Does being highly educated automatically make you highly intelligent? Can one be highly intelligent without being highly educated? Do IQs really mean anything? What makes a person wise? Why is wisdom typically associated with old age?

My desire to seek answers to these questions inspired many hours of intense research which included the reading of 6 books, hundreds of research documents, and countless hours on the Internet; which pales in comparison to the lifetime of studies and research that pioneers in the fields of intelligence and education like Howard Gardner, Richard Sternberg, Linda S. Gottfredson, Thomas Sowell, Alfie Kohn, and Diane F. Halpern whose work is cited in this article.

My goal was simple: Amass, synthesize, and present data on what it means to be smart, educated and intelligent so that it can be understood and used by anyone for their benefit.

PRENATAL CARE

With this in mind, there was not a better (or more appropriate) place to start than at the very beginning of our existence: as a fetus in the womb.

There is mounting evidence that the consumption of food that’s high in iron both before and during pregnancy is critical to building the prenatal brain. Researchers have found a strong association between low iron levels during pregnancy and diminished IQ. Foods rich in iron include lima beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, seafoods, nuts, dried fruits, oatmeal, and fortified cereals.

Children with low iron status in utero (in the uterus) scored lower on every test and had significantly lower language ability, fine-motor skills, and tractability than children with higher prenatal iron levels. In essence, proper prenatal care is critical to the development of cognitive skills.

COGNITIVE SKILLS

Cognitive skills are the basic mental abilities we use to think, study, and learn. They include a wide variety of mental processes used to analyze sounds and images, recall information from memory, make associations between different pieces of information, and maintain concentration on particular tasks. They can be individually identified and measured. Cognitive skill strength and efficiency correlates directly with students’ ease of learning.

DRINKING, PREGNANCY, AND ITS INTELLECTUAL IMPACT

Drinking while pregnant is not smart. In fact, it’s downright stupid.

A study in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has found that even light to moderate drinking – especially during the second trimester – is associated with lower IQs in offspring at 10 years of age. This result was especially pronounced among African-American rather than Caucasian offspring.

“IQ is a measure of the child’s ability to learn and to survive in his or her environment. It predicts the potential for success in school and in everyday life. Although a small but significant percentage of children are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) each year, many more children are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy who do not meet criteria for FAS yet experience deficits in growth and cognitive function,” said Jennifer A. Willford, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Paul D. Connor, clinical director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit and assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington has this to say about the subject:

“There are a number of domains of cognitive functioning that can be impaired even in the face of a relatively normal IQ, including academic achievement (especially arithmetic), adaptive functioning, and executive functions (the ability to problem solve and learn from experiences). Deficits in intellectual, achievement, adaptive, and executive functioning could make it difficult to appropriately manage finances, function independently without assistance, and understand the consequences of – or react appropriately to – mistakes.”

This is a key finding which speaks directly to the (psychological) definition of intelligence which is addressed later in this article.

ULTRA SOUNDS

Studies have shown that the frequent exposure of the human fetus to ultrasound waves is associated with a decrease in newborn body weight, an increase in the frequency of left-handedness, and delayed speech.

Because ultrasound energy is a high-frequency mechanical vibration, researchers hypothesized that it might influence the migration of neurons in a developing fetus. Neurons in mammals multiply early in fetal development and then migrate to their final destinations. Any interference or disruption in the process could result in abnormal brain function.

Commercial companies (which do ultrasounds for “keepsake” purposes) are now creating more powerful ultrasound machines capable of providing popular 3D and 4D images. The procedure, however, lasts longer as they try to make 30-minute videos of the fetus in the uterus.

The main stream magazine New Scientist reported the following: Ultrasound scans can stop cells from dividing and make them commit suicide. Routine scans, which have let doctors peek at fetuses and internal organs for the past 40 years, affect the normal cell cycle.

On the FDA website this information is posted about ultrasounds:

While ultrasound has been around for many years, expectant women and their families need to know that the long-term effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known. In light of all that remains unknown, having a prenatal ultrasound for non-medical reasons is not a good idea.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE…THE DEBATE CONTINUES

Now that you are aware of some of the known factors which determine, improve, and impact the intellectual development of a fetus, it’s time for conception. Once that baby is born, which will be more crucial in the development of its intellect: nature (genetics) or nurture (the environment)?

Apparently for centuries, scientists and psychologists have gone back and forth on this. I read many comprehensive studies and reports on this subject during the research phase of this article, and I believe that it’s time to put this debate to rest. Both nature and nurture are equally as important and must be fully observed in the intellectual development of all children. This shouldn’t be an either/or proposition.

A recent study shows that early intervention in the home and in the classroom can make a big difference for a child born into extreme poverty, according to Eric Turkheimer, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The study concludes that while genetic makeup explains most of the differences in IQ for children in wealthier families, environment – and not genes – makes a bigger difference for minority children in low-income homes.

Specifically, what researchers call “heritability”- the degree to which genes influence IQ – was significantly lower for poor families. “Once you’re put into an adequate environment, your genes start to take over,” Mr. Turkheimer said, “but in poor environments genes don’t have that ability.”

But there are reports that contradict these findings…sort of.

Linda S. Gottfredson, a professor of educational studies at the University of Delaware, wrote in her article, The General Intelligence Factor that environments shared by siblings have little to do with IQ. Many people still mistakenly believe that social, psychological and economic differences among families create lasting and marked differences in IQ.

She found that behavioral geneticists refer to such environmental effects as “shared” because they are common to siblings who grow up together. Her reports states that the heritability of IQ rises with age; that is to say, the extent to which genetics accounts for differences in IQ among individuals increases as people get older.

In her article she also refers to studies comparing identical and fraternal twins, published in the past decade by a group led by Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., of the University of Minnesota and other scholars, show that about 40 percent of IQ differences among preschoolers stems from genetic differences, but that heritability rises to 60 percent by adolescence and to 80 percent by late adulthood.

And this is perhaps the most interesting bit of information, and relevant to this section of my article:

With age, differences among individuals in their developed intelligence come to mirror more closely their genetic differences. It appears that the effects of environment on intelligence fade rather than grow with time.

Bouchard concludes that young children have the circumstances of their lives imposed on them by parents, schools and other agents of society, but as people get older they become more independent and tend to seek out the life niches that are most congenial to their genetic proclivities.

BREAST-FEEDING INCREASES INTELLIGENCE

Researchers from Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand studied over 1,000 children born between April and August 1977. During the period from birth to one year, they gathered information on how these children were fed.

The infants were then followed to age 18. Over the years, the researchers collected a range of cognitive and academic information on the children, including IQ, teacher ratings of school performance in reading and math, and results of standardized tests of reading comprehension, mathematics, and scholastic ability. The researchers also looked at the number of passing grades achieved in national School Certificate examinations taken at the end of the third year of high school.

The results indicated that the longer children had been breast-fed, the higher they scored on such tests.

TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Thomas Sowell, author of Race, IQ, Black Crime, and facts Liberals Ignore uncovered some fascinating information that every parent should take note of. He writes:

There is a strong case that black Americans suffer from a series of disadvantageous environments. Studies show time and again that before they go to school, black children are on average exposed to a smaller vocabulary than white children, in part due to socioeconomic factors.

While children from professional households typically exposed to a total of 2,150 different words each day, children from working class households are exposed to 1,250, and children from households on welfare a mere 620.

Yes, smart sounding children tend to come from educated, professional, two-parent environments where they pick-up valuable language skills and vocabulary from its smart sounding inhabitants.

Mr. Sowell continues: Black children are obviously not to blame for their poor socioeconomic status, but something beyond economic status is at work in black homes. Black people have not signed up for the “great mission” of the white middle class – the constant quest to stimulate intellectual growth and get their child into Harvard or Oxbridge.

Elsie Moore of Arizona State University, Phoenix, studied black children adopted by either black or white parents, all of whom were middle-class professionals. By the age of 7.5 years, those in black homes were 13 IQ points behind those being raised in the white homes.

ACCUMULATED ADVANTAGES

At this juncture in my research it dawned on me, and should be fairly obvious to you, that many children are predisposed to being smart, educated, and intelligent, simply by their exposure to the influential factors which determine them long before they start school.

An informed mother, proper prenatal care, educated, communicative parents, and a nurturing environment in which to live, all add up to accumulated advantages that formulate intellectual abilities. As you can see, some children have unfair advantages from the very beginning.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of top-selling book Outliers, wrote that “accumulated advantages” are made possible by arbitrary rules…and such unfair advantages are everywhere. “It is those who are successful who are most likely to be given the kinds of social opportunities that lead to further success,” he writes. “It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks. It’s the best students who get the best teaching and most attention.”

With that in mind, we turn our attention to education and intelligence.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE WELL EDUCATED?

Alfie Kohn, author of the book What Does It Mean To Be Well Educated? poses the question, does the phrase well educated refer to a quality of schooling you received, or something about you? Does it denote what you were taught? Or what you remember?

I contend that to be well educated is all in the application; the application and use of information. Information has to be used in order to become knowledge, and as we all have heard, knowledge is power.

Most people are aware of the floundering state of education in this country on some level. We tell our children that nothing is more important than getting a “good” education, and every year, due to government budget shortfalls, teachers are laid off, classes are condensed, schools are closed, and many educational programs – especially those which help the underprivileged – are cut.

The reality is, we don’t really value education. We value it as a business, an industry, political ammunition, and as an accepted form of discrimination, but not for what it was intended: a means of enriching one’s character and life through learning.

What we value as a society, are athletes and the entertainment they offer. The fact that a professional athlete makes more money in one season, than most teachers in any region will make in their careers, is abominable. There’s always money to build new sports stadiums, but not enough to give teachers a decent (and well-deserved) raise.

Ironically, the best teachers don’t go into the profession for money. They teach because it’s a calling. Most of them were influenced by a really good teacher as a student. With the mass exodus of teachers, many students are not able to cultivate the mentoring relationships that they once were able to because so many are leaving the profession – voluntarily and involuntarily – within an average of three years.

At the high school level, where I got my start, the emphasis is not on how to educate the students to prepare them for life, or even college (all high schools should be college-prep schools, right?), it was about preparing them to excel on their standardized tests. Then the controversial “exit” exams were implemented and literally, many high schools were transformed into testing centers. Learning has almost become secondary.

This mentality carries over into college, which of course there’s a test one must take in order to enroll (the SAT or ACT). This explains why so many college students are more concerned with completing a course, than learning from it. They are focused on getting “A’s” and degrees, instead of becoming degreed thinkers. The latter of which are in greater demand by employers and comprise the bulk of the self-employed. The “get-the-good-grade” mindset is directly attributable to the relentless and often unnecessary testing that our students are subjected to in schools.

Alfie Kohn advocates the “exhibition” of learning, in which students reveal their understanding by means of in-depth projects, portfolios of assignments, and other demonstrations.

He cites a model pioneered by Ted Sizer and Deborah Meier. Meier has emphasized the importance of students having five “habits of mind,” which are: the value of raising questions about evidence (“How do we know what we know?”), point of view, (“Whose perspective does this represent?”), connections (“How is this related to that?”), supposition (“How might things have been otherwise?”), and relevance (“Why is this important?”).

Kohn writes: It’s only the ability to raise and answer those questions that matters, though, but also the disposition to do so. For that matter, any set of intellectual objectives, any description of what it means to think deeply and critically, should be accompanied by a reference to one’s interest or intrinsic motivation to do such thinking…to be well-educated then, is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends…

HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF IQ

We’ve always wanted to measure intelligence. Ironically, when you look at some the first methods used to evaluate it in the 1800s, they were not, well, very intelligent. Tactics such as subjecting people to various forms of torture to see what their threshold for pain was (the longer you could withstand wincing, the more intelligent you were believed to be), or testing your ability to detect a high pitch sound that others could not hear.

Things have changed…or have they?

No discussion of intelligence or IQ can be complete without mention of Alfred Binet, a French psychologist who was responsible for laying the groundwork for IQ testing in 1904. His original intention was to devise a test that would diagnose learning disabilities of students in France. The test results were then used to prepare special programs to help students overcome their educational difficulties.

It was never intended to be used as an absolute measure of one’s intellectual capabilities.

According to Binet, intelligence could not be described as a single score. He said that the use of the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as a definite statement of a child’s intellectual capability would be a serious mistake. In addition, Binet feared that IQ measurement would be used to condemn a child to a permanent “condition” of stupidity, thereby negatively affecting his or her education and livelihood.

The original interest was in the assessment of ‘mental age’ — the average level of intelligence for a person of a given age. His creation, the Binet-Simon test (originally called a “scale”), formed the archetype for future tests of intelligence.

H. H. Goddard, director of research at Vineland Training School in New Jersey, translated Binet’s work into English and advocated a more general application of the Simon-Binet test. Unlike Binet, Goddard considered intelligence a solitary, fixed and inborn entity that could be measured. With help of Lewis Terman of Stanford University, his final product, published in 1916 as the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence (also known as the Stanford-Binet), became the standard intelligence test in the United States.

It’s important to note that the fallacy about IQ is that it is fixed and can not be changed. The fact is that IQ scores are known to fluctuate – both up and down during the course of one’s lifetime. It does not mean that you become more, or less intelligent, it merely means that you tested better on one day than another.

One more thing to know about IQ tests: They have been used for racist purposes since their importation into the U.S. Many of those who were involved in the importation and refinement of these tests believed that IQ was hereditary and are responsible for feeding the fallacy that it is a “fixed” trait.

Many immigrants were tested in the 1920s and failed these IQ tests miserably. As a result, many of them were denied entry into the U.S., or were forced to undergo sterilization for fear of populating America with “dumb” and “inferior” babies. If you recall, the tests were designed for white, middle class Americans. Who do you think would have the most difficulty passing them?

Lewis Terman developed the original notion of IQ and proposed this scale for classifying IQ scores:

000 – 070: Definite feeble-mindedness
070 – 079: Borderline deficiency
080 – 089: Dullness
090 – 109: Normal or average intelligence
110 – 119: Superior intelligence
115 – 124: Above average (e.g., university students)
125 – 134: Gifted (e.g., post-graduate students)
135 – 144: Highly gifted (e.g., intellectuals)
145 – 154: Genius (e.g., professors)
155 – 164: Genius (e.g., Nobel Prize winners)
165 – 179: High genius
180 – 200: Highest genius
200 – higher ?: Immeasurable genius

*Genius IQ is generally considered to begin around 140 to 145, representing only 25% of the population (1 in 400).
*Einstein was considered to “only” have an IQ of about 160.

DEFINING INTELLIGENCE

Diane F. Halpern, a psychologist and past-president of the American Psychological Association (APA), wrote in her essay contribution to Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid that in general, we recognize people as intelligent if they have some combination of these achievements (1) good grades in school; (2) a high level of education; (3) a responsible, complex job; (4) some other recognition of being intelligent, such as winning prestigious awards or earning a large salary; (5) the ability to read complex text with good comprehension; (6) solve difficult and novel problems.

Throughout my research and in the early phases of this article, I came across many definitions of the word intelligence. Some were long, some were short. Some I couldn’t even understand. The definition that is most prevalent is the one created by the APA which is: the ability to adapt to one’s environment, and learn from one’s mistakes.

How about that? There’s the word environment again. We just can’t seem to escape it. This adds deeper meaning to the saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” It means recognizing what’s going on in your environment, and having the intelligence adapt to it – and the people who occupy it – in order to survive and succeed within it.

There are also many different forms of intelligence. Most notably those created by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University.

Dr. Gardner believes (and I agree) that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

He felt that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, was far too limited and created the Theories Of Multiple Intelligences in 1983 to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults.

These intelligences are:

Linguistic intelligence (“word smart”)
Logical-mathematical intelligence (“number/reasoning smart”)
Spatial intelligence (“picture smart”)
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (“body smart”)
Musical intelligence (“music smart”)
Interpersonal intelligence (“people smart”)
Intrapersonal intelligence (“self smart”)
Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)

Not associated with Dr. Gardner, but equally respected are:

FLUID & CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE

According to About.com, Psychologist Raymond Cattell first proposed the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence and further developed the theory with John Horn. The Cattell-Horn theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence suggests that intelligence is composed of a number of different abilities that interact and work together to produce overall individual intelligence.

Cattell defined fluid intelligence as “…the ability to perceive relationships independent of previous specific practice or instruction concerning those relationships.” Fluid intelligence is the ability to think and reason abstractly and solve problems. This ability is considered independent of learning, experience, and education. Examples of the use of fluid intelligence include solving puzzles and coming up with problem solving strategies.

Crystallized intelligence is learning from past experiences and learning. Situations that require crystallized intelligence include reading comprehension and vocabulary exams. This type of intelligence is based upon facts and rooted in experiences. This type of intelligence becomes stronger as we age and accumulate new knowledge and understanding.

Both types of intelligence increase throughout childhood and adolescence. Fluid intelligence peaks in adolescence and begins to decline progressively beginning around age 30 or 40. Crystallized intelligence continues to grow throughout adulthood.

SUCCESSFUL INTELLIGENCE

Then there’s Successful Intelligence, which is authored by intelligence psychologist and Yale professor, Robert J. Sternberg, who believes that the whole concept of relating IQ to life achievement is misguided, because he believes that IQ is a pretty miserable predictor of life achievement.

His Successful Intelligence theory focuses on 3 types of intelligence which are combined to contribute to one’s overall success: Analytical Intelligence; mental steps or components used to solve problems; Creative Intelligence: the use of experience in ways that foster insight (creativity/divergent thinking); and Practical Intelligence: the ability to read and adapt to the contexts of everyday life.

With regard to environment, Mr. Sternberg writes in his book Successful Intelligence: Successfully intelligent people realize that the environment in which they find themselves may or may not be able to make the most of their talents. They actively seek an environment where they can not only do successful work, but make a difference. They create opportunities rather than let opportunities be limited by circumstances in which they happen to find themselves.

As an educator, I subscribe to Mr. Sternberg’s Successful Intelligence approach to teaching. It has proven to be a highly effective tool and mindset for my college students. Using Successful Intelligence as the backbone of my context-driven curriculum really inspires students to see how education makes their life goals more attainable, and motivates them to further develop their expertise. Mr. Sternberg believes that the major factor in achieving expertise is purposeful engagement.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

In his best-selling 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman reported that research shows that conventional measures of intelligence – IQ – only account for 20% of a person’s success in life. For example, research on IQ and education shows that high IQ predicts 10 to 25% of grades in college. The percentage will vary depending on how we define success. Nonetheless, Goleman’s assertion begs the question: What accounts for the other 80%?

You guessed it…Emotional Intelligence. What exactly is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence (also called EQ or EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Many corporations now have mandatory EQ training for their managers in an effort to improve employee
relations and increase productivity.

TACIT KNOWLEDGE aka “STREET SMARTS”

You’ve heard the phrase, “Experience is the greatest teacher…”

In psychology circles knowledge gained from everyday experience is called tacit knowledge. The colloquial term is “street smarts,” which implies that formal, classroom instruction (aka “book smarts”) has nothing to do with it. The individual is not directly instructed as to what he or she should learn, but rather must extract the important lesson from the experience even when learning is not the primary objective.

Tacit knowledge is closely related to common sense, which is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. As you know, common sense is not all that common.

Tacit knowledge, or the lessons obtained from it, seems to “stick” both faster and better when the lessons have direct relevance to the individual’s goals. Knowledge that is based on one’s own practical experience will likely be more instrumental to achieving one’s goals than will be knowledge that is based on someone else’s experience, or that is overly generic and abstract.

BEING BOTH SMART AND STUPID

Yes, it’s possible to be both smart and stupid. I’m sure someone you know comes to mind at this precise moment. But the goal here is not to ridicule, but to understand how some seemingly highly intelligent, or highly educated individuals can be so smart in one way, and incredibly stupid in others.

The woman who is a respected, well paid, dynamic executive who consistently chooses men who don’t appear to be worthy of her, or the man who appears to be a pillar of the community, with a loving wife and happy kids, ends up being arrested on rape charges.

It happens, but why? I found the answer in Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid. Essentially, intellect is domain specific. In other words, being smart (knowledgeable) in one area of your life, and stupid (ignorant) in another is natural. Turning off one’s brain is quite common especially when it comes to what we desire. A shared characteristic among those who are smart and stupid, is the difficulty in delaying gratification.

Olem Ayduk & Walter Mischel who wrote the chapter summarized: Sometimes stupid behavior in smart people may arise from faulty expectations, erroneous beliefs, or merely a lack of motivation to enact control strategies even when one has them. But sometimes it is an inability to regulate one’s affective states and the behavioral tendencies associated with them that leads to stupid and self-defeating behavior.

The central character in this book who many of these lessons regarding being smart and stupid revolve around is Bill Clinton and his affair with Monica Lewinksky.

WISDOM & CONCLUSION

My great grandmother, Leola Cecil, maybe had an 8th grade education at the most. By no stretch of the imagination was she highly educated, but she had what seemed like infinite wisdom. She was very observant and could “read” people with startling accuracy. Till the very end of her life she shared her “crystallized intelligence” with whomever was receptive to it.

She died at the age of 94. I often use many of her sayings as a public speaker, but most importantly, I use her philosophies to make sure that I’m being guided spiritually and not just intellectually. Many of us who are lucky enough to have a great grandparent can testify that there is something special about their knowledge. They seem to have life figured out, and a knack for helping those of us who are smart, educated and intelligent see things more clearly when we are too busy thinking.

What they have is what we should all aspire to end up with if we are lucky: wisdom.

Wisdom is the ability to look through a person, when others can only look at them. Wisdom slows down the thinking process and makes it more organic; synchronizing it with intuition. Wisdom helps you make better judgments regarding decisions, and makes you less judgmental. Wisdom is understanding without knowing, and accepting without understanding. Wisdom is recognizing what’s important to other people, and knowing that other people are of the utmost importance to you. Wisdom is both a starting point, and a final conclusion.

Gian Fiero is a seasoned educator, speaker and consultant with a focus on business development and music/entertainment industry operations. He is affiliated with San Francisco State University as an adjunct professor and the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) where he conducts monthly workshops on topics such as career planning, public relations, and personal growth.

Article Source: The Difference Between Being Smart, Educated, and Intelligent