10 Effective Ways to Inspire People Every Day

By Dr.Stephen Jones

The commitment to inspire people starts with an inner feeling of contentment. It is a willingness to share the joy and peace that is inside of you with others.  It is a desire to inspire others to dream big and to expect to accomplish great goals.  Inspirational people encourage people to believe that there is something greater within them.  Here are easy ways that you can raise inspiration level of others by 100 percent:

1. Be a joyous person and share encouraging words daily

2. Listen with focused attention on what the other person is saying

3. Don’t be moved by what you see

4. Other people don’t define what your attitude will be

5. Bring someone a gift that they were not expecting to receive

6. Tell people what you appreciate about them

7. Never, never give up on encouraging others

8. Try something new that you have not done before

9.  Go on a fitness walk at least three days a week to clear your mind

10. Listen to motivational videos

Someone is waiting for you to remind them that they are awesome and that they can accomplish great things.  You may be the first person that says something positive to them all week. You should be like the light that cast out the darkness of a challenging situation. Today is your day to inspire and uplift others. The best is on its way.

Dr. Stephen Jones is a speaker and education advocate.  He is the author of the Seven Secrets of How to Study, the Ultimate Scholarship Guide and the Ultimate Parent’s Guide at http://www.DrStephenJones.net.10 Effe

Success Strategies for Principals and Other School Leaders

Principals and leaders who spend time working on self growth are frequently rewarded. Students and staff need a principal who will take time to invest in themselves and their school. Leadership work can be  be very stressful. Here are some things you can do to  be an inspired leader.

1. Never give up 

2. Come to work prepared to learn 

3. Be a servant leader 

4. Care about all the students, teachers and staff 

5. Teachers are your partners not servants 

6. Pray every day for wisdom 

7. Work life balance works 

8. If you are married, happy wife long life 

9. Stay humble it works 

10. Create a culture of success by continually acknowledging the accomplishments of students, staff and faculty. 

There needs to be a change in the way that schools are designed. 

Dr. Stephen Jones is a consultant, speaker and author at http://www.DrStephenJones.net or call 610-842-3843. hashtag

How to Become a Scholar Athlete

Succeeding as a scholar athlete requires devotion to academic excellence in the classroom.  The value of having scholar athletes on a team is often missed.  There is a conflict that can occur when the coach’s agenda and the student’s academic goals are not on the same page.  A scholar athlete must be able to make wise decisions that involve their future.  A scholar athlete can have the better of two worlds because they are smart on the field and off the field.  These students are also a success because they have invested in their academic dreams.  It is interesting to note that colleges reap the benefit of having scholar athletes on their team.  They can motivate their team mates and help them to excel in the classroom too. 

The NCAA is taking the academic performance of students seriously and they now evaluate how many athletes are graduating from college across the nation.  The academic success of an athlete starts during their K12 years. Colleges can help by setting high academic standards for the athletes that they plan on accepting.  Each K12 school could benefit by following the NCAA’s push for students who are top athletes and scholars.  Some colleges like to boast that they have the highest graduation rate in the region and they can play a role in changing the perception of the athlete’s intellectual ability too.

Becoming a scholar athlete is something that all college students should strive to attain.  Students should ask their potential college coach about their support programs and graduation rates.  The student should ask the coach about their philosophy regarding winning.  A coach should be honest about the number of students who actually become professionals.  When students hear this number it can reveal how much of a chance that the student will have an opportunity to earn the big money that professional’s make. A scholars athlete should look for a coach who places value on the academic development of each student.

A student who is a scholar athlete can have a great career working in all types of industries.  The leadership and organization skills that students develop while they are in college are priceless.  It is important that the scholar athlete continuously assesses what they are learning from their coach and teammates.  There are numerous lessons that can be learned from winning and losing and these can be incorporated as part of a scholar athlete’s professional development.  The college experience will only last for four years and having clear goals will help each athlete to stay focused. 

Each student is the captain of their academic destiny and it should be taken seriously. You will need the best education possible to graduate from high school and college.  Take time to write down your goals and maximize all that you can learn.  The scholar athlete must remain inquisitive and seek every new learning experience possible.  Learning can occur inside the classroom and outside of the classroom.  The scholar athlete can benefit from listening to guest lecturers who come to the campus to discuss their specialty. Use your high school and college experiences as a chance to uncover skills that open doors to new careers.  You should enjoy being a scholar athlete while also making your education a priority too. Dr. Stephen Jones is an educator, keynote speaker and author. He has written the Seven Secrets of How to Study, The Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide.  Visit him at http://www.studyskills2u.com.

7 Ways to get the Most out of College

Attending college is one of the best ways to grow intellectually, emotionally, socially and personally. As you take classes and listen to lectures look for opportunities to do a self-assessment. You should uncover how much you do or don’t know about a topic. Then ask yourself how does this knowledge apply to your life? Active engagement with the learning process will be tremendously rewarding. Take time to talk to your advisor ansd visit the career center to talk about your career plans. It can help you to maintain the motivation do your best work in all of your classes. One of the best things that you can do is get to know your instructors and visit him/her. Don’t allow yourself to get nervous and talk yourself out of visiting your professor. Your professors are full of knowledge that you need. Research the articles and books that they have written. You should also show up when they ask you to listen to a guest speaker. It will enable you to have another type of conversation with your instructor. Many instructors never have a visitor during their office hours. You can be the first to visit and get personal help from your instructor. Make it your goal to take full advantage of all that college life has to offer. Here are seven important ways to get the best out of college: 1. Talk to a faculty member about doing undergraduate research 2. Join a club and take on a leadership role 3. Learn another language so that you can function in a global economy 4. Go on an international studies experience 5. Volunteer to represent your university on a service learning trip 6. Attend a student conference in your major 7. Serve a as a mentor/tutor for other high school students You should work to develop new skills while you are in college. It is extremely important to develop good speaking skills. It will take you a long way. It is also important to increase the quality of your writing and reading skills. College professors and corporate professionals are looking for students who have good communication skills. College will pay when you are able to get the job that you desire. In addition take time to learn how to network. Get to know professors and administrators who are not teaching your curriculum. You will have many more people who are available to help you throughout your college experience. Networking is a good way to form study groups and to get tutoring when you need it. One of the best aspects of college life is all of the students that you meet who are from diverse backgrounds. You can get the most out of college by taking it as an adventure and an early preparation for your future. Dr. Stephen Jones is an author, keynote speaker and educator. His books are the Seven Secrets of How to Study, the Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide and the Ultimate Scholarship Guide. You can reach at http://www.studyskills2u.com.

How to Find Money and Resources for Your School

One of the biggest challenges facing schools today is how to maintain an effective level of resources for teachers and students. This is the time to get creative and think of alternative ways to obtain resources. Often people and companies just need to know your needs and they will get involved. It’s important to have a mindset that the resources are available so that you will be an active participant in the effort to locate resources. If everyone in the school gets creative, you can identify resources all throughout the school year. Here are twelve things you can do to find money and resources. 1. Contact new companies that are coming into your town. They want to find a way to get connected to the community. 2. Get students who have graduated from your school and are working to purchase specific items. 3. Get time on a radio program to talk about your needs 4. Have a carnival involving the students and parents 5. Create a list and get sororities and fraternities to have a campaign to get supplies for your school 6. Organize a school wide car wash on a specific Saturday 7. Offer a certain item (i.e shirt, cup) at a school sports event and let the participants know that it is a fund raiser 8. Purchase the chronicle of Philanthropy. It list foundations and corporations who have given to school. 9. Don’t limit your search for funding to local corporations. Go after funds from large corporations 10. Write a proposal and a separate executive summary for funding that you can send out at any time. 11. Join a crowd funding network (i.e. IndIegogo.com) that allows people from all walks of life to contribute to your needs 12. Use the internet to conduct your search for “free school resources.” The important aspect of getting these resources is active participation. You may have an alumni or PTA that will help you with your efforts. Ask others in your school to help to create a list of contacts who are ready to help your school. You will be surprised at who is really interested in helping schools to succeed. Know is the time to get started. To contact Dr. Stephen Jones visit http://www.studyskills2u.com or call 610-842-3843

Athletes Drop Out Rate a Crisis in the Making

According to Dr. Stephen Jones each year more than 50 percent of African American students drop out of high school and college. This has a significant impact on athletes who play sports. The drop out rate is greatly affected by poor college preparation and study skills. The lack of academic preparation is evident in middle school and high school. Too often athletes are accepted to college without the preparation they need to graduate. The student athletes’ athletic prowess is valued more than their intellectual abilities. Some athletes are also blindsided when they uncover the huge academic deficits when they start college classes. This crisis will continue because of the abundance of athletes who can replace the athlete who is in academic difficulty.

This problem must be attacked head on. Athletes deserve to be prepared to succeed at all levels. The NCAA requires colleges to have an academic support center. Unfortunately often the academic gap is too large even for the tutors that are assigned to students. Although these students have graduated from high school these students arrive to college academically three and four years behind their peers. Middle schools and high school students must get academically caught up prior to enrolling in the college. Many of these students are coming from schools that are not making Adequate Yearly Progress according to the standards set by No Child Left Behind. There are some very basic elements of the education process that are critical for students to succeed in college and they include the ability to read and compute.

This crisis is not one that we can ignore. Too many extremely bright African Americans are ending up in prison. This includes former college athletes who do not have a degree. Every so many weeks it seems that there is an article about some athlete who is escorted into a court room and sent to jail. This is especially detrimental when they leave a stable wife and children to make it by themselves. This foretells a disastrous educational outcome for their children who cannot afford to attend the better schools.

Some organizations and colleges are tracking the exceptional student athlete as early as ten and twelve year old. Yet attention and devotion to ensuring that they maintain high levels of academic performance is given little attention. It seems that there is a viscous cycle of poor study skills and academic preparation that’s repeated in inner city communities throughout the country. A fundamental academic requirement must be established for athletes early in their K 12 experience. Colleges and school districts must make a greater commitment to these students. There must be a break in the pattern of the deepening despair that has become a viscous cycle for so many athletes who do not graduate. Too many families can point to athletes in their family who have never competed a high school diploma or college degree.

Dr. Stephen Jones is a nationally recognized author who has written the “Seven Secrets of How to Study and the “Parent’s Ultimate Education Guide.” You can contact him at 610-842-3843 and at stephenjoness@rcn.com or visit http://sevenbooks.net.