• According to research, people feel worse in a crowd – if a friend is shaking in fear, the calmest person may start shaking.
• Courage is also contagious – watch someone do something brave and others will jump in.
• That happened recently when a woman got her leg caught under her car when failing to put it in park as she exited.
• A group of courageous people lifted the car allowing the woman to be pulled out – she survived with injuries, but survived.
• How we think matters – if we live in fear, we will assuredly spread it to others (and vice versa) but if we emphasize our courage, not fear, we spread it to others and they to us.

• My friend, the talented morning show personality Jerry Puffer told me he once worked for a program director who wanted one GREAT show from him a week, a few more good ones and some wiggle room for an off day.
• When we aim high, we accomplish more.
• To have that great day, it requires the belief that no person can be perfect every day but they can sure try.
• When presented like this, most people will up their game and say “yeah, I CAN do that”.

• Politicians get elected by selling the voters change but most people fear change – what they want is better.
• New rules, new bosses, new routines and new people in your life can add to the anxiety of not knowing what the future brings.
• “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished” said Ben Franklin.
• Think back to changes in your life – not all of them were bad, in fact most were good or needed to happen.
• The strong aren’t best suited to survive, it’s the ones who can best manage change who are.

• For all the problems we have this day, it is not today that is making us anxious.
• It’s what happened yesterday and the day before.
• And the fear of tomorrow.
• Now is the safest place to be.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” – Anne Frank

• It doesn’t take a major retooling of the fine person we are to become better.
• It’s about remembering (and not forgetting) the power we have to exceed even our own expectations.
• Never forget your own power.

• Rarely alone, often online and increasingly lonely according to a recent Wall Street Journal article about middle age moms that is applicable to all.
• Social media has both helped and hurt with dealing with burnout and loneliness during covid.
• Become an organizer and help others return to a normal life – walking, meeting, socializing in person.
• Using social media increases loneliness – here’s an Italian study.
• Staying busy, remaining positive and owning a problem that is in search of a solution is a strong way to relieve the pain of burnout and loneliness.

• What really hurts is not so much being turned down or turned away as much as being made to feel your contributions are not legitimate.
• I operate off of the batting average theory I mentioned here before: If I succeed one out of four times, I am hitting .250 (25%) and that’s not bad because no one bats 1.000 — ever.
• When faced with rejection, do not accept anything that makes your efforts feel not legitimate.
• No one rightfully can expect to live life or work at their career totally without rejection but it is our responsibility not to let anyone make our efforts feel illegitimate.

• If we’re being honest, we’re all addicted to technology – even schools encourage connecting young people at earlier ages than ever.
• It’s not the tech that is harmful but the balance of tech vs. real in person touch.
• In my Music in Media class at NYU we discussed the coming Apple Glass that will make augmented and perhaps someday virtual reality available to students in front of their face through glasses similar to how speed limits can now be projected on windshields of newer model cars.
• The point is technology rarely needs to be taught, but how to use it and manage it so that it doesn’t create other problems does.

• Every time you have a problem, you have a chance for success.
• Problems are not detriments, they are opportunities for those who know that when they arrive, your next victory has arrived.

Did you know that back in 2018, the British prime minister at the time Theresa May appointed a minster for loneliness (Tracey Crouch) recognizing a serious problem that is rarely discussed and increasingly prevalent.

• A Harvard Business Review article in 2017 before covid posited that loneliness in the workplace needed to be addressed – read it here.
• Students and young people lock themselves in their rooms and turn to their mobile devices for relief but rarely find it.
• It’s not about meeting new people on the internet and making friends as it is a means to cope with problems and get motivational support.
• Know the difference between being alone and feeling alone: “Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.”