I stepped into what I consider a playground for adults. A guy with a buzz cut wiped his palms on the weight vest strapped to his torso, then shook out his legs.  A middle-aged, heavyset man picked up a bar, tightened his face and began to squat. An athletic-looking man, possibly a college student, with hands on his hips stared up at a set of rings. In the background, an older lady, likely a mom, was lying on a bench pushing weight above her head as a man in a black army cap encouraged her. The scene seemed a bit odd. All these people in different stages of life were under one roof, for what? “Ready? In 3… 2… 1… GO!” Each person began racing through different movements. Nervous and anxious looks melted into solid determination. Heavy breathing ensued, and the winter-chilled room started to heat up.

The man in the black cap came over to me and introduced himself as Kevin Malahy, a personal trainer at Crossfit Native, a gym in Warr Acres, Oklahoma. Kevin is a former Marine who coaches a variety of people from elite athletes to parents to those recovering from injuries. He’s only 27 but has a loyal client base that comes to him because his coaching methods have produced results. Whatever their goal is for working out—losing weight, preparing for boot camp, or staying fit to keep up with their kids, they came to Kevin to put them on the road to fitness success.

Kevin isn’t a big, buff guy who only knows how to yell at his athletes and charge clients for counting their reps. He offers something truly valuable. With a lot of ignorance about fitness today and a myriad of confusing workout scams and diet plans, plus the inertia of our sedentary lifestyle, it’s hard for the average person to get the knowledge and help they need to become fit and strong. That’s where a personal trainer comes in. No… That’s where a great personal trainer comes in.

Health is life, and a bad coach compared to a great coach is the difference between wasting someone’s life and changing someone’s life. My short conversation with Kevin revealed the ins and outs of successful coaching.

While there are various roads to becoming a personal trainer, Kevin found his roots in the Marines.

“I was already working out with my buddies; they would come to me,” he said. “I’d eventually just charge them,” he said. Once he was done serving in the military, he came back to his hometown and pursued his NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) certifications and became a Level 1 certified CrossFit coach. Although he didn’t attend school to become a coach, the certifications allowed him to legally train in a gym. “Even if you’re getting a degree, don’t wait to start training,” Kevin says. “Get certified, get in ASAP…. I learned more in my first week of training than I did at the certifications. It’s different…. It’s nothing like the textbook,” he said.

Kevin started as an entry-level trainer at a local fitness club. What allowed him to move on to bigger and better things were the results he produced for his clients. “You produce results, you get clientele. [That] gives you a more reputable name, and more people come to you,” he said. While the majority of professionals in this field seek to open their own gym once they build a sufficient client base, Kevin wants to go in a different direction. His goal is to actually specialize, becoming strictly a strength and conditioning coach for competitive martial artists. Currently, his clients consist of everything from professional athletes and military members to struggling overweight white-collar workers and everything in between.

Being a personal trainer allows for a flexible schedule, but also demands sacrifice. “There’s no typical schedule, you work around others,” Kevin says. “The customer is your boss, you work for them.”

While a fitness coach like Kevin may have a few sporadic days off here and there, he also has days that require them to be up at 4 a.m and heading home around 10 p.m. However, working long days at times isn’t as bad as it sounds. The work environment is “very laid back,” he says. “People already come in for a stress relief …. You talk a little bit, warm up, then get them through a workout.” When Kevin isn’t working with clients, he’s making phone calls, sending e-mails, processing waivers and doing other typical “administrative stuff” to keep his business running.

While having the knowledge and the ability to teach is important, real results take place when a coach is motivated to improve the health, happiness, and life of each client. Kevin says that the most enjoyable aspect of his job is when “people follow through with instructions and they get results. Then they’re excited to tell you.” He says a successful trainer is “personable, organized, and tolerant.” It’s imperative that the coach/client relationship is based on trust, he revealed. The coach must really know what motivates their athlete, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how to inspire them to grow beyond their imagination.

Kevin considers “keeping people accountable” one of the most important aspects of his job. “Most people you train aren’t motivated, so 90 percent of your job is being a counselor, 10 percent is training.” He must encourage, correct, and instruct athletes to get them past their mental barriers that keep them from succeeding.  The hardest part is keeping clients compliant. “I’ll go about making a diet plan, and people tell me one thing and do another,” he says, adding that it can be frustrating when the athlete is limiting himself or herself by not applying his instructions. Keeping people accountable is also important because people are “walking advertisements,” he said. So obtaining future clients often depends on his ability to keep his current clients in check.

Regardless of the hurdles that come with being a personal trainer/coach, Kevin loves seeing people succeed when they implement what he’s taught them. He conveyed that being a great coach isn’t about being a drill sergeant or showing off your own ability or knowledge, it’s about improving the lives of those who come to you for help. The fruits of fitness his clients see in their lives are proof: Kevin isn’t just a personal trainer; he’s a great coach.

The peregrine falcon swoops on its prey in a swift, steep dive called a stoop. Its signature attack is swift and effective—and makes it the fastest creature known to man. That’s why this falcon is “nature’s top gun.”

When on the hunt, the peregrine relies on its sharp vision to locate its target. Flying at a typical speed of 24 mph to 67 mph, generated by a flapping rate of up to four wing-beats per second, it climbs high into the skies to gain altitude. Unlike an eagle, whose wings are designed for soaring, the peregrine’s wings are designed for speed and maneuverability. The black “moustache” patches on its face act like a footballer’s eye black, absorbing light and thus minimizing the glare from the ground and making it easier for the peregrine falcon to focus on its prey.

With the target in focus, the bird begins its stoop. The falcon sweeps back its pointed wings and draws them close to its body. It folds its tail and tucks in its feet. One wing pushes forward, and the head tucks in to that side while the other wing pulls back. All this, together with its stiff feathers, drastically minimizes the cross-section of the falcon’s body that is presented to the air: a perfect, aerodynamic, teardrop shape. As the falcon cuts through the atmosphere, a transparent nictitating membrane (a “third eyelid,” after the upper and lower eyelids) clears debris from the eyes and lubricates them. It reaches a terminal velocity as high as 200 mph or more, depending on wind speed and duration of the dive. No other living thing on earth moves that fast.

This remarkable speed is a proof that “nature’s top gun” could not have evolved. This bird had to be specially designed and crafted to achieve such impressive feats.

Most birds dare not attempt the efficient high-speed stoop of the peregrine falcon. Their lungs would explode if they tried. The first “birds” to try were man-made ones: jet aircraft. The results were catastrophic. Jet engineers reacted to their failed designs by consulting—in the words of pilot and master falconer Ken Franklin—the “blueprint for aeronautical engineering:” birds. One aeronautic feature engineers observed on the peregrine falcon is a small cone slightly protruding in its nostrils. This is called a baffle. The baffle’s complex design slows down the flow of air entering the bird’s lungs. This is the same design now employed in jet engines.

There is in fact, an entire discipline of studying and imitating nature’s models, processes and elements: biomimicry. Biomimicry innovations stem from creatures like the peregrine falcon. (Never mind any possible patent infringement against the original Designer).

Evolution vs. Logic

One biomimicry institution refers to its practice as “a natural progression for an evolutionary leap.” But doesn’t copying nature in itself prove that nature had a Creator more intelligent than man? The creations around us display what works, what’s efficient, what lasts—the answers to what human beings are grappling with.

Biomimics might answer: Man is, in a few years, learning from nature what nature learned the hard way for billions of years.

Yet this human reasoning is full of holes. A 200-mile-per-hour stooping speed of a bird is either a characteristic it simply has, or doesn’t. A bird cannot just learn it abruptly, or even gradually. Its lungs would explode each time it tried. It would only be known to us as a fossil. Consider:

• If birds evolved from one ancestor, then either this ancestor had falcon-like baffles in its nostrils, or it didn’t. According to evolution, if the baffles were advantageous, birds would have kept them. If they were not, then they would have disappeared over time.
• If the bird ancestor had baffles in its nostrils, then why is it that almost only falcons retained them? And why would the other birds lose them if they would make them such swift, efficient flyers?
• If the bird ancestor didn’t have baffles, then peregrine falcons would never be as fast as they are.
• If the need (need is a supposed primary driver of evolution) for a 200-mile-per-hour stoop stimulated the growth of baffles, then each attempt to exercise that growth-stimulating need would always end in birds plummeting to their deaths.

The peregrine falcon does not plummet to its death in a stoop, because it did not evolve. An intelligent Creator intricately and purposefully designed it. When evolutionary biomimics imitate “nature’s genius,” in this bird, they are unwittingly acknowledging, and learning from the peregrine’s Creator. They just fail to acknowledge His “intellectual property.” He made the peregrine falcon unique and extraordinary. No wonder it is “nature’s top gun.”

From dating to decision-making, you’ve read a gamut of articles here on TE during January. Here are your top 5 most-viewed articles, based on number of views. (Click on any photo to view the article.)

The Soviet men’s gymnastic team was favored to win and had the advantage. Not only was Japan’s team down one member, but its top athlete failed on the first event. Japan was hoping for its fifth consecutive summer Olympic gold—but they were under pressure.

One of the lesser-known members on Japan’s team, Shun Fujimoto stepped up to the challenge of the Soviets and began his floor exercise routine. In the middle of his performance as he bounded across the floor, he fell, causing his right knee to flood with pain. “It felt hollow, as if there were air in it,” he said. That hollow feeling was a result of a fractured patella (kneecap), an intensely agonizing injury.

The afflicted athlete fought through the incredible discomfort, and finished his routine. Realizing something was seriously wrong with his leg, he feared being benched when his team most needed him. If Shun didn’t compete, a victory would be impossible; Japan needed every tenth of a point it could muster. Discerning the neck-and-neck competition with the Soviets, Coach Yakuji Hayata told Fujimoto, “Shun, I’m counting on you.”

With two events to go, the determined gymnast decided his aggravated knee was not worth failure. He kept his injury to himself, not even telling his coach. His next performance was the pommel horse, which would put little stress on his knee, and had a soft dismount. Yet keeping his body as solid as a rock to keep his precision and yield a high score would be problematic with a fracture. Regardless, Shun stepped up to the pommel horse and delivered. His stable performance earned him a 9.5 out of 10, and he kept his team in the running for gold.

However, the bold athlete began to show signs of pain. He was no longer able to mask it. Grey in color and glistening with an abnormal amount of sweat, the 26 year-old gymnast from Hiroshima, Japan was in obvious agony. His coach confronted him about it, but he was resolute in his decision to keep competing. “Although I was injured, I had to do it anyway, for me, and for the team…”

The next event was the rings.  While this was Shun’s best event, the 8-foot high dismount at the end would be hard under normal circumstances, let alone with a broken knee. Nevertheless, with the risk of permanent damage, Shun hobbled to the rings and fearlessly assumed his starting position. Focusing on the competition, his performance seemed almost flawless. Then, the end of his routine approached and the world watched nervously for the injured athlete to land. “I knew that if my posture was not good on landing, I would not receive a good score. There was only one thing to do. I must try to forget the pain,” said Shun. It was obvious that the gold would be determined by how well Japan and the Soviets performed on the rings. With the Soviets in the lead, Japan needed Shun to stick his dismount.

Swinging through the rings one last time he released his hands at the peak and began his triple summersault with a twist. His turns were tight as he anticipated feeling the impact of the land, gravity pulling all 136 pounds of him toward the ground. He gritted his teeth as he landed. Although he shifted his weight to his left leg, he couldn’t land on just one foot.

Both Shun’s feet hit the mat. Pain burst through his body. His countenance revealed his secret. His right knee wobbled slightly, but he regained complete control, tightening his stance and trying to focus on staying strong and not on the overwhelming excruciating pain. He straightened up into the traditional stick finish pose. Tears filled his eyes as the crowd rose with cheers for one of the most courageous acts in Olympic history.

The landing had caused his knee to dislocate and ligaments to tear. With three rounds to go, he was forced to finally sit out. Yet Shun’s heroic act of self-sacrifice for the team earned a 9.7, a score that would be impressive with two healthy legs. Yet even more, Shun lead by his example and inspired his teammates to perform as near perfect as possible to finish the competition without him.

Shun walked into the stadium that day never expecting lifetime fame. In fact, he still doesn’t believe what he did was special. He knew he had a responsibility, and sometimes responsibility includes sacrifice. He walked to the podium unassisted, and Japan was awarded the gold medal, beating the Soviets by only four tenths of a point—the closest competition in Olympic history.

“It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have the gold medal, and the pain is gone,” said Shun. Perhaps it was just the Olympics, but self-sacrifice is self-sacrifice, and Shun Fujimoto has gone down in history as an Olympic hero that people around the world still admire today.

Many sports stars, musicians, movie stars, even politicians are known to have been smokers of this dried weed. Some famous celebrities promote its usage as a good thing for “medical purposes.” Some are fighting to legalize it. Many have said for years that it is harmless. What do you say about marijuana?

If you’re a teen, you’ve probably heard a lot about it and perhaps even know people that use it. But what is the truth about marijuana? How much do you really know about it? Is it a harmless high? Are there no consequences? Is it something that can be experimented with? These questions are too important for you to just guess at the answers. Could you give informed, educated answers to the questions surrounding marijuana? Let’s honestly investigate the facts so you can know the answers and be able to make wise decisions!

In America, Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug among teens today—14.6 million young people use it. The marijuana available today is much stronger than what was available 20 or 30 years ago. Sometimes it is even laced with other, more potent drugs, which can have deadly results. Contrary to what many say, marijuana is physically addictive. So much so, in fact, that 100,000 teens are treated each year for marijuana dependency, suffering serious withdrawal symptoms.

For decades, proponents of marijuana have claimed that there are no long-term negative effects. However, many authoritative studies have been conducted that state the opposite. Besides the detrimental psychological effects, these studies have proven that physical dangers also exist.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), people who smoke marijuana often develop the same kinds of lung and respiratory problems as those who smoke cigarettes, such as chronic coughing and wheezing. They tend to have more chest colds and are at a greater risk of contracting lung infections like pneumonia. This drug can limit your body’s ability to fight off other infections as well because, as studies show, that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, can damage cells and tissues in the body that help protect against disease. Thus, it can have detrimental effects on your immune system in general.

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases known to mankind. Billions of dollars are spent each year in research and treatment of this terrible plague. Is there any link between marijuana and cancer? The NIDA states that marijuana contains some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. In fact, studies show that someone who smokes five joints per day may be consuming as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes each day! According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are over 400 known chemicals in marijuana, and a single joint contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette.

Long-term marijuana use can even increase the risk of developing certain mental illnesses. It has been linked to an increase in mental health risks such as increased anxiety attacks, panic attacks, depression and other related issues. Research shows that it leads to changes in the brain similar to those caused by “heavier” drugs such as cocaine and heroin. A January 26, 2006, article in the Boston Globe stated that heavy marijuana use among adolescents could increase their risk of developing psychosis or schizophrenia.

Kathy Szirtes, a specialist in youth mental health and substance abuse who works in Victoria, B.C., says it is a myth that marijuana use is not harmful (National Post, Nov. 24, 2006). She pointed out that when young people get into marijuana dependency cycles, it causes behavioral changes. “You start wrecking relationships with family, with teachers, your memory goes, you can’t sleep properly unless you have a toke before bed and on it goes. We’re certainly seeing a rise in problems in the high schools.” She added that “kids are at school and they’re exhausted” because marijuana use interferes with sleep. She also said, “I think the average parent should be as concerned about marijuana as they would be about any other hard drug.”

One study of college students showed that even 24 hours after the students had taken the drug, critical skills like memory, attention and learning were still significantly impaired. Think of the ramifications of these skills being impaired that long. What kind of danger are you putting yourself and others in? What about driving a car? A study of patients in a shock-trauma unit found that 15 percent of those involved in an accident tested positive for marijuana use. Add another 17 percent to that figure of those who tested positive for a combination of marijuana and alcohol and you have a whopping 32 percent of those accidents that involved marijuana! That’s nearly one out of every three accidents involving someone who had their motor skills adversely affected by marijuana! This is an added danger that no one need expose themselves.

Dr. C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general of the United States, once stated, “I am especially concerned about the long-term developmental effects of marijuana use on children and adolescents, who are particularly vulnerable to the drug’s behavioral and physiological effects. The syndrome [of declining motivation] is characterized by a pattern of loss of energy, diminished school performance, harmed parental relationships and other behavioral disruptions.” Years later, the evidence is in and it proves the former surgeon general to be right!

Research shows a clear link between smoking marijuana and poor academic performance. Researchers found that young people a D average or below were more than four times as likely to have smoked marijuana within the past year as those students who maintained an A average. Those who smoke this weed are twice as likely to cut class as those who do not. Also, violence (and other delinquent behavior) has been found to correlate with marijuana use; violent acts rise with increased usage of marijuana. All in all, compared to young people who do not smoke, marijuana-using students get lower grades and are less likely to graduate from high school.

Tragically, many of these same learning disabilities and behavioral problems are evident in children of marijuana smokers. That’s right: Those who exposed their unborn babies to this drug often find later on in life that their children suffer from many of these same deficiencies of memory, attentiveness and problem-solving. Some studies even indicate certain neurological problems in early development.

What about the claims out there that marijuana has certain medicinal benefits? Are there really any benefits to using this drug? In 2006 the New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration said that “no sound scientific studies” supported the medical use of marijuana. Also, the Supreme Court decided that the federal government is allowed to arrest anyone using marijuana, even for medical purposes and even in states that have legalized its use for medical purposes!

In addition to all of this, God tells us to obey the laws of the land (Romans 13). As noted above, marijuana is an illegal substance! To obtain it, you must cross paths with and come into contact with criminals! And, if you do obtain this illegal substance, you are a criminal! Besides the spiritual issues involved here, this would set a dangerous precedent for you that could have deadly consequences.

During adolescence, patterns of social behavior and personal character traits are being set that in many cases will never change. Patterns of laziness, mindlessness, selfishness and a willingness to engage in risky (even criminal) behavior will lead to a miserable, unfulfilled life. As mentioned earlier, this drug will affect your ability to make sound judgments and wise decisions. Once under its influence, you’re far more likely to engage in risky, premarital sexual behavior, which could result in your exposure to STDs, including HIV—the virus that causes AIDS. If you are lazy, unskilled and uneducated, or have acquired a sexually transmitted disease and/or a criminal record, that doesn’t bode well for you having a very prosperous future! Stop and think about your future! The decisions you make now and the patterns of character you develop now will carry with you throughout your entire life!

By any estimation, upon an honest examination of the facts, surely we all can see there is nothing harmless about marijuana.

I walked in to our garden, and there I found her lying on the ground. She was breathing rapidly.

I touched her. She seemed apathetic to any type of attention. I told my grandma what had happened, and she rushed out. When my grandma saw her condition, there was only one thing she could do—call the veterinarian.

Our dachshund had been acting unusual for a week. She hardly ate, wasn’t as playful, and was lethargic. We didn’t know what was wrong with her, but we thought that she would get better in a few days. We were wrong.

When we took her to the veterinarian, he told us that she had a viral disease called distemper. At the end of our visit, the veterinarian advised us what to do to help her get better.

We followed his advice, and after several more visits to the vet, our dog recovered in a few weeks. He was spot-on in diagnosing her, but how did our veterinarian know what was wrong with our dog if he couldn’t ask our dog what was hurting her?

Dr. Richard Hufnagel of the Pet Medical Center of Edmond has been a veterinarian for two decades, and has a penchant for finding out what’s wrong with an animal. He said that the intellectual challenge of diagnosing an ill animal is like a “detective case” in search for the “culprit,” or the cause of the animal’s illness. Just like an actual detective case, veterinarians look for clues by conducting several physical examinations on the animal, such as X-ray tests, blood tests and ultrasounds.

Another way they gather clues is by asking a “witness,”—usually the animal’s owner. Dr. Hufnagel stressed how important it is to communicate with the owner, since the owner is the first one who notices signs and symptoms of the pet’s illness.

Being a veterinarian is not a walk in the park. It’s a profession that involves a lot of research, communication and time, Dr. Hufnagel says. “Be aware that communication with humans will be a big part of your life. If you want to be a veterinarian, you have to like people, not just animals.”

Seeing how proactive, and involved an owner is when it comes to their pets is something that veterinarians appreciate. It adds another dimension to their job, because not only are they helping the pets, but they are also helping the owners.

]]> http://www.trueeducation.org/2012/01/23/challenging-the-animal-detective/feed/ 4 http://www.trueeducation.org/2012/01/16/waves-of-proof/ http://www.trueeducation.org/2012/01/16/waves-of-proof/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:46:43 +0000 Michelle Cuenco http://www.trueeducation.org/?p=20458

A wall of water surges up to the left, arches over, and cascades to the right of you. Following closely behind, a collapsing vortex of white water reminds you of the urgency with which you should travel. Yet, time seems to slow. Ecstasy arises within you. You savor this dream-like experience, if only for a moment, as the water keeps crashing down and forces you back to reality.

Riding a barrel is an experience that surfers say is indescribable. The power and elegance with which an ocean wave travels seems like it was perfectly designed to satisfy the hunger of the wave rider. Without waves, surfers could only paddle aimlessly on still water and enjoy the thrill of being shark bait.

However, waves are more than just a playground for surfers and beachgoers. The rolling mobility of the ocean reflects the intelligence of a Ceator in its design.

It is obvious waves were engineered with intelligence and for a purpose. The great Creator took into account that the oceans would need to move, and He planned every detail of how that would be accomplished in order to sustain life. What amazes me is God not only made waves part of a system that supports the life for which they were created—but they also have allowed us to not only enjoy their beauty, but to experience the bliss of riding on water. Surfs up!

See for yourself how impressive waves can be in action. This video features Teahupoo, a surf spot on the southwest shore of Tahiti. Not only are Teahupoo waves 20 feet tall, they’re also so thick it looks like the whole ocean is behind them.

More Surfing Videos

Every year during finals week, I think of a million and one things that I would love to do after finals. Can’t wait for next week, I think. It’s going to be fun!

Now if you’re thinking that I spend my vacation doing those million and one things productively—well, that may not be entirely true. I’ve used these paradoxical words during vacations; maybe you have too: I’m bored!

So I came up with the B.O.A.R.D. formula to avoid vacation boredom!

B: Book of Ideas

Get a “book of ideas” or a small journal in which you jot down ideas, to-do lists, fun date plans, etc. that race through your mind at the randomest of times. If you’re like me, then whenever you’re meant to be focusing on something else, that’s when the best ideas pop into mind. Don’t let this frustrate you. Sometimes our minds might mull on an idea—causing distraction—because we’re afraid that if we don’t think over every aspect of it right then, we’ll lose it. Try this: as soon as a great idea pops into mind, write it in your book of ideas. That way, you’ll know that the thought isn’t going to slip and that when the time is right, you can get back to it. I’ve tried this, and it’s amazing how well it works. Then, when you’re bored in your free time, you can go down the list of ideas and you’ll have a bunch of interesting and useful things to do—and the time to do them. Plus you’ll find yourself accomplishing a lot of goals that otherwise could be neglected.

O: Organize

Every time you deep-clean or deleaven your room, don’t you find a lot of neat items? I do. A lot of them are great cures for boredom: an old glove and baseball, an unfinished stamp collection, a bookmarked novel, yarn, etc. When you feel you are on the verge of boredom, try this: organize! You’ll find a bunch of items in your room that can help you beat the blahs. After all, you bought them in the first place because you thought they would be useful to you. Now could be a great time to finally get to them. (Or you could give them away and purge them—but that’s another story.)

A: Ask Around

Guess what? Others get bored too. There is a saying that misery loves company—you could apply that to boredom as well, in a different way. Finding people to do things with you is a wonderful way to beat boredom, help someone else and build stronger friendships. Ask around to see if someone would like to go to the library for an afternoon, or play catch with that mitt and ball you just found buried in your closet, or play Monopoly with you in your tree house. Seek others out whom perhaps you’ve not had as much time to get to know before and use a sport, a toy or an occasion as an icebreaker to get to know them better. You’ll have something to do with your time, and building that friendship might open up new things to do in the future should you get bored again.

R: Read

A majority of us love to read—hey that’s why you’re reading this article. Reading sparks ideas, introduces you to hobbies, encourages travel, builds creativity and teaches you a lot about a lot. When I was a preteen, I loved reading the Five Findouters. It was a mystery book series about five kids and a dog who went on great adventures solving mysteries. One tiny, almost insignificant detail about these books always fascinated me: The Findouters usually had their meetings in a barn in the afternoons over scones and tea. After reading these books, I used to spend probably an hour at home in the afternoon eating biscuits and drinking tea. (I didn’t have my first scone until I came to America for AC.) That kept me busy even after the book. Another book that sparked an idea in my mind was when I read Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl when I was around 10 years old. It got me hooked on journaling, which kept me entertained for hours each week. You get the idea. Books really can encourage ideas and activity.

D: Drive

In his book, The Seven Laws of Success, Herbert W. Armstrong wrote about drive. “An inactive person will not accomplish,” he wrote. We need to really work hard to get out of the boredom “rut.” We all need to prod ourselves to do more with full-hearted effort. I’ve often noticed that when I sleep in real late on Sundays, it’s hard to get much else done for the rest of the day with any amount of zeal. That’s because I’ve forsaken drive and set myself up for a lazy outlook! Then I feel bored. Ever felt that way?  Now of course it is good to get a few hours of extra sleep on the weekends to recuperate. But my point here is that just as with lazy Sundays, we can sometimes set ourselves up for just being plain lazy in everything we do—and be in a constant state of boredom as a result. By adding drive in your life—constantly prodding yourself to accomplish more, being positive about accomplishing the near-impossible, trying a new sport —you can set yourself up for a life of constant activity and accomplishment, and squelch out the boredom.

I’ve come to realize that when I think I’m bored, I’m not really being honest with myself. After all, I haven’t tried everything under the sun and am now out of ideas. That makes me go back to my B.O.A.R.D. formula and find some wonderful things to fill my time with. Right now I’m trying to finish up a blue scarf I had started knitting a few winters ago. I’m not bored anymore.

Of all the pressures I faced as a teenager, the pressure to date and go steady was high on the list. To have a steady boyfriend or girlfriend was somewhat of a status symbol. Times haven’t changed that much. If anything, it is MORE this way today.

Society, particularly Western culture, puts a lot of emphasis on romance and sex. Teens and even pre-teens are influenced by these trends—to think that these years of their lives are to be years of romance and that “dating” means having intimate dinners, weekends, even physical intimacy with a special someone.

Television, movies and music openly display these twisted views of what romance and dating should be—pressuring kids to date exclusively and find “love” before marriage while at the same time, oddly enough, de-emphasizing these things AFTER marriage.

But this culture’s influence is not making the world a better, more loving place. Many teenagers feel more pressure and undue burden than they should during these years, while many marriages are failing miserably. Something is wrong. And the answer to many of these problems could be answered with knowledge of proper dating principles.

You Should Date!

You, as a teen, SHOULD date! But how? Certainly not frequent one-on-one dates, since they should be saved for a time when you are ready for greater commitment. But this is only one type of dating.

Many teens participate in another type of dating, one that is perfectly acceptable—one that actually should be enjoyed during the teen years. You may not consider it dating, but good dating habits START here: with active, wholesome group dating.

Though group dating does not lead directly to marriage, as one-on-one dating can, it helps prepare you for all sorts of life’s opportunities. Through group dating, you develop strong social skills and better friendships, and learn more about how both sexes operate. On top of all that, there’s everything you can learn when your group dates are productive, service-oriented activities or educational outings. Group dating can groom you for better double dates and one-on-one dates. It can, indirectly, prepare you for a stable, happy marriage.

Why Group Dating?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Why should you desire to group date, when everything around you pushes you to pursue the romantic candlelit dinners and the walks on the beach? Is one-on-one dating really that much more fun? Is saying that you only group date such an embarrassing admission? What is so fun about group dating that would make you willing to wait for the other kinds of dating till later?

Dates—or, more simply, get-togethers or outings of various sorts—that involve members of both sexes with no one specifically paired with another are an enriching part of teen life (assuming, of course, that you are in a good group).

Let’s examine some specific advantages of group dating.

• Being on a group date is LESS PRESSURE. If you make a silly mistake, there is safety in numbers.
  
  Say, out to dinner, you spill a little water as you take a sip. It might cause a big laugh in a group (where you could laugh along too), whereas, on a one-on-one date, it could be much more embarrassing.
  
  On heavier dates, you may feel as if every aspect of your appearance—the way you walk, the way you chew—is on grand display. On a group date, every little thing you do and say isn’t as exposed; things can get lost in the crowd.
  
  
• On a somewhat related note, a group date is INSURANCE AGAINST A BORING DATE. Going on an exclusive date might be a huge flop if you end up not really getting along with the person you are with—if neither one of you can think of anything to talk about, and the time passes awkwardly and slowly.
  
  
• Group activities can also be highly EDUCATIONAL. You can learn certain skills, for instance, if your group goes rollerblading and you’ve never done that before. Others in the group can help you, whether it’s rollerblading or studying or knowing which piece of silverware to use at a nice restaurant.
  
  You can also learn things, as alluded to earlier, about other people. When you are in a mixed group, you can learn many things about the opposite sex—even about your own gender—and what basic needs and characteristics they have. You can also learn things about yourself, how you interact with people, what things you have to offer a group.
  
  
• Group dates HELP YOU AVOID WRONG RELATIONSHIPS. As you learn about others and yourself, you will be more prepared later in life when you begin to narrow your focus for a mate.
  
  Also, staying in a group setting will help you avoid getting romantically involved too early. Of course, there are certain people within the group (guys or girls) that your personality will “click” with a little more. But the whole purpose of the group outing is to diffuse any feelings that you are falling for a specific someone. When you do this, you begin to limit yourself to one person and become burdened by a heavy romantic relationship at an age when you should be spreading your wings, enjoying the scenery of teenagehood and having fun with all types of personalities.
  
  Nothing can complicate a circle of friends more than when one person of the group begins to pair off with another. When you are in a group, you need to be sure you are giving of yourself to everyone.
  
  
• This way, group dating BUILDS STRONG FRIENDSHIPS. As you learn about others and yourself, you learn what makes friendships last, what wins people over, what makes them laugh, and how to handle offenses diplomatically.

The more you enrich your life through group dating—the more you give of yourself to the people in your group—the more you will have to offer when the time comes for you to narrow your focus to a few people, with more exclusive dates, as you prepare for a lasting, blissful marriage.

Meanwhile, cherish the teen years as a period to have good, exciting, fun times with other wholesome teens—to develop yourself and your friendships. That is what is so fun about group dating: not being pressured to limit yourself to one person, but enjoying a good time with everyone.

Several months ago I looked at my desk, my room, my life.

What I found was … a lot of—“stuff.” Stuff that I didn’t use very often, if at all. Things that, with my busy schedule, I don’t actually need to waste time using.

After this discovery, I set about to find a solution. Starting with the idea of getting rid distractions, I contemplated my things. I picked out a few here and there and gave them away. Ironically, it felt awesome! I thought that the withdrawal would be too much to take, but it was exactly the opposite. Ridding my life of things gave me breathing room.

This feeling spurred me to search for further relief. Immediate relief and also a solution that would instill a habit in me that I will follow for the rest of my life. What I found was an interesting concept called “minimalism.” I read several articles about how the process works, and I was hooked. It was exactly what I needed to reduce the distractions in my life, and set the stage for my future actions so that they wouldn’t be counterproductive to the cause.

Minimalism means getting rid of things you don’t need and organizing and focusing on the things that you do, and that matter. Following that motto is the only set rule.

Minimalism does not mean you have to pare down all your possessions to one pair of socks or one pair of shoes, or one of anything. Some people, as humans have been known to do, take minimalism to the extreme and own only 50 or so items total. Although that may seem like an interesting challenge, it is unbalanced. That being said, most of us in Western society own far too many things. Some people estimate that for 80 percent of our time, we are only using 20 percent of our things. This begs the question, what are the other 80 percent of our things doing? Are they enriching our lives? Or is it possible that they are distracting and inhibiting our progress toward our goals?

I found that sentimental value was taking too high a priority in my life: saving a card or a letter for years, or a little trinket because my grandparents gave it to me when I was five. I came to realize that a lot of the things I had saved didn’t need to be saved. They had fulfilled their duties earlier on in my life. With my busy schedule and changing life as a college student, I didn’t have the time to be distracted by these things. Instead, I needed to focus on the education I was being give daily at AC.

How did I—and how can you—minimize the distractions in life with a less-is-more mentality? Here are several simple steps to de-clutter your life, and make it more organized, and efficient.

First, inventory all of your belongings, starting with your room. Go through your things and ask yourself, Have I used this recently—or ever? If you don’t use it, maybe you could give it away or sell it!

Second, once you have weeded out all the things you don’t need, start organizing the things you do have. Find a specific place for each thing, keeping it all neat and tidy.

Third, pursue perfection! Don’t forget the main goal: to simplify your complex life. Root out distractions so that you can more readily focus on the important things in life. This must remain in the forefront of your thinking as time goes on, and as you occasionally repeat the process in pursuit of perfection. Steve Jobs created a great line of computer products that were directly inspired by his minimalist lifestyle. He sought to remove all the unnecessary bells and whistles that detracted from his product. Sacrificing quantity for more perfect quality.

One great way to seek perfection is to remove whatever is distracting you from reaching that goal. Remember, less is more!