The Mrs Universe finalists from more than 80 countries are loving the vibe in Durban. IMAGES: Images: Abhi Indrarajan

Beauty with a purpose: Mrs Universe finalists, who are in Durban for the World Finals on September 2, 2017, visited three schools in the greater Durban area, on Monday.

Tapping into this years event theme of empowering women, creating change, the contestants from more than 80 countries, spoke to pupils about the importance of education and helped create awareness of the global gender-based violence crisis.

Pupils from Bhekisisa High School in Ntuzuma and two schools in Umlazi, namely Menzi High School and Vukuzakhe High School, met with the women to hear about how they overcame personal challenges to achieve success and make a meaningful contribution to their communities back home.

The beautiful contestants enjoyed spending time with the pupils.

To add to the festive atmosphere at the schools, Vodacom handed over 10 tablets to each of three schools. Teachers will award the ten high performing pupils in each school with the tablets at the end of the year.

The Mrs Universe event is a women-empowerment initiative that brings together married women between the ages of 25 and 45 who are doing phenomenal work to uplift and enhance their local communities through CSI initiatives.

The Mrs Universe World Finals will be held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre on September 2, 2017. For more information, visit http://www.mrsuniverse 2017.co.za

See the rest here:
Mrs Universe contestants empower Durban pupils - Rising Sun Chatsworth

Youth empowerment is imperative not only for national development but also for personal development of an individual. According to the recently released census data, our population comprises 60 percent of the youth. This is both a threat and an opportunity. If this raw talents energy is not channelised well then we have a real challenge at hand as it might act as a time bomb for our country. However, by channelising the energy and raw talent of the youth in the right direction, we can prepare them for a productive role aimed at shaping the future of the nation.

History shows that under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, the youth played an instrumental role in bringing Pakistan into being. Quaid-e-Azam considered the youth as nation builders of tomorrow. He strongly believed in equipping the youth with discipline, education and training for the arduous tasks lying ahead of them.

Today, the youth of Pakistan is facing various social, political and economic changes. If we review our past policies, we would notice the palpable lack of concrete youth targeted policies. These policies lacked consistency, coherence and a broader perspective.

Given the present scenario of our country in terms of youth bulge, the slogan of youth empowerment has taken the centre-stage. However, the best way to empower our youth is through provision of greater educational and economic opportunities.

Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) is South Asias largest scholarship program. The basic purpose behind the programme is to provide scholarships to the deserving but talented students who arent able to pursue higher education due to financial constraints. The scholarships of worth Rs12 billion have been awarded so far.

Under the umbrella of PEEF, Shahbaz Sharif Merit Scholarship (SSMS) is a revolutionary step of the Punjab government, which enables the youth to study in the top ranked educational institutions of the world by funding their whole expenditure. PEEF is a story of dedication and vision in the service of the youth that is changing lives and help realise dreams.

In the middle of difficulty lies an opportunity and educational scholarship is a gateway to opening of new avenues of socio-economic mobility and growth. The launch of Chinese and Turkish Language Scholarship programmes by the Punjab government is a step in the right direction.

I believe that scholarship programmes are very productive exercise with far-reaching results. Besides being time-tested and sincere friends of Pakistan, both China and Turkey are our trusted development partners. Given the increasing footprint of the Chinese and Turkish investment and trade in Punjab and Pakistan, the language courses being funded by Punjab government will help our students acquire expertise and understanding that will help facilitate interaction between our two countries. In addition to further strengthening our bilateral relations with these countries, the scholarship programmes will open up more avenues for our youth in terms of better career prospects.

Skill development has created a huge space for generation of employment in todays world. The idea of earning millions by bringing fresh prospective and out of box thinking on the table is very encouraging and unique. One cannot only create job for oneself but also create livelihood opportunities for others. Unfortunately, we as a nation are lagging behind in developing skills of our youth. But the recent keen interest of government in this field is laudable.

On the directions of the chief minister, TEVTA is engaged in imparting skills to two million youth of Punjab by the end of 2018. The project of Punjab Tianjin Technical University has been envisaged and definitely, Chinese expertise would be useful for the Punjab government. The students of Punjab Tianjin Technical University will get same facilities and latest technical education which is being provided in Tianjin University. The students of this university would get dual degrees.

Punjab chief ministers E-Rozgar Scheme, and Interest-free Loan Scheme are some other initiatives taken by Punjab government to empower youth. It is a high time we utilise our resources to train our students in terms of technical, human resource and skill development. We need to create backward and forward linkages between industry and academia. Instead of preparing generalists, we should focus on producing qualified human resource keeping in view the indigenous and foreign demands. The construction of CPEC projects across the country has thrown open a huge demand for skilled labour and it is now on us how we convert this challenge into an opportunity.

The Chinese model of converting youth bulge into a demographic dividend needs to be emulated in our efforts to empower our youth.

There is no denying of the fact that our youth is talented and hard working. They have the overwhelming desire to realise their potential into an asset for the nation-building, provided the state can enable and equip them with necessary tools. It is heartening to note that there is a discernible realisation of giving our youth the conducive environment for development.

While the Punjab government has launched much needed initiatives, it is important that sustainable youth empowerment policies at the national level are worked out after consultation with all stakeholders particularly the youth bodies. We have to make our youth agent of change through investment in their future.

The rest is here:
Youth Empowerment: Punjab leads the way - The Nation (blog)

Reporter: Houston Is Another of Uncle Sams Disasters

Storms are natural events, but floods are usually man-made disasters, writes Michael Grunwald at Politico. And in Houston, part of that man-made disaster can be traced to the ostensibly good intentions of the government, which has aided residential sprawl into vulnerable low-lying areas near water with its relatively cheap and easily gamed federal flood insurance. And while climate change might play a role, experts say the main culprit is the explosive growth of low-lying riverine and coastal development, which has had the double effect of increasing floods (by replacing prairies and other natural sponges that hold water with pavement that deflects water) while moving more property into the path of those floods. But, ironically, Congress is unlikely to limit the subsidies in the wake of a storm like Harvey.

Libertarian: Nanny-Staters Engage in Parental Abuse

When rats ate enough of a poor Bronx familys food to make the children under-nourished, the city stepped in to take the children away, citing bad parenting. This is an all-too-common story, says Lenore Skenazy at Reason: Because we default to the notion of bad parents, that becomes the primary problem we address. Its like treating all car accidents as the fault of the driver, even on streets with malfunctioning stop lights. This is especially damaging to those mired in poverty, since theres a problem the government could be addressing instead that now goes untreated. The government tars people with parental neglect. Quips Skenazy: Maybe parental abuse is a term we need to start using to cover government intervention in cases where parents are trying to do the best they can, but they just cant be perfect.

From the right: Muslim Reformer Takes on Left-Wingers

The Southern Poverty Law Center has in recent years taken to labeling an array of legitimate Christian and other organizations as hate groups. These targets now have an unlikely ally in anti-Islamist British politician Maajid Nawaz. He has been added to groups hate lists and is suing for defamation, reports Tyler ONeil at PJ Media. Indeed, given the way Nawaz angers Muslim extremists and the way the SPLC riles up left-wing nuts (a man who shot up the Family Research Council, a Christian group, in 2012 said he did so because he was following the SPLCs hate map), its an issue of personal safety as well: From the murder of Theo van Gogh, to the Scalise shooting, to the terror committed against the FRC, it is no hyperbole for Nawaz to say that the SPLCs list is putting his very life in danger.

Law prof: Americans Wont Elect Big Brother President

Mark Zuckerberg might once have been able to run for president as a stainless nerd-knight, argues Glenn Reynolds in USA Today. But now the Facebook founder has, like many in Silicon Valley, become a censorship-happy left-wing culture warrior, and thatll give the public pause: An industry that once seemed to be about personal liberation and empowerment as illustrated in that famous 1984-themed Apple commercial now seems to be creepy and controlling, and has signed up as enforcers in the culture wars that many Americans fear. And Facebooks reputation for violating users privacy to amass personal data isnt exactly an argument in favor of putting Zuckerberg in charge of the federal government: President Big Brother? Call me crazy, but I dont think itll sell.

Security beat: What Antifa & Neo-Nazis Have in Common

Antifa and the right-wing Tiki-torch Nazis have more in common than they realize, says Eli Lake at Bloomberg. This isnt to equate them, exactly. Indeed, the cause of anti-fascism is noble, whereas the racists marching in Charlottesville are telling journalists like me I should be sent to the ovens. The problem is antifa isnt what its cracked up to be: Originally it confronted neo-Nazis at punk concerts and the like. Today though, antifa has become the violent vanguard of the censorious progressive safe space movement, in which ideas and speakers deemed offensive are equated with physical violence. So this rivalry isnt a fight for the soul of America: Neither the Tiki-torch Nazis nor the masked anarchists represent a viable American future.

Go here to read the rest:
Why Zuckerberg won't be president, Uncle Sam's role in Houston's floods & other comments - New York Post

Carie Lemack, CEO and cofounder of DreamUp.

Carie Lemack is co-founder and CEO ofDreamUp, the first company to bring space into classrooms and classrooms into space.A former national security policy expert/advocate and producer of an Academy Award-nominated film, Lemack is a proud alumna of Space Camp and supporter of all space cadets reaching for the stars. Lemackcontributed this article toSpace.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

If the United States wants to reclaim the honor and glory of reaching for the heavens; inspire a new generation of heroes and heroines, curious minds and courageous spirits; and give today's students the skills to achieve a better tomorrow, we must make the dream of reaching for the stars as real as the rockets that launch into space.

We need a space age for the digital age, in which teachers combine education with a form of entertainment like no other: the chance to see those rockets' red glare as they launch their payloads to the International Space Station. [Blastoff! How to See a Rocket Launch in Person This Summer]

That invigorating, firsthand experience with science is more powerful than any movie about science fiction. After all, hands-on time with science is interactive, personal and exciting, whereas science fiction is passive, occasionally preposterous, and less effective at engaging and motivating young minds. It's also a chance to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in a way that can unite it with the arts and humanities.

Effectively incorporating space into our nation's education begins with a customized curriculum that is both accessible for teachers and aspirational for students. My company, DreamUp a sister company of NanoRacks is dedicated to bringing space-based education and research into classrooms and launching student experiments into space.

The program accommodates students of all ages, from primary school to postdoctoral, and it's accessible to those in urban, suburban, rural and regional districts. With a suite of multimedia tools and a user-friendly approach toward science, the DreamUp curriculum is dynamic and effective, with an emphasis on individual student engagement and personal empowerment.

These strengths provide a record to stand on, and successes to expand upon, as we continue to add to more than 375 unique student experiments already flown to the International Space Station. Those experiments prove that, in this country, we can democratize space-based research with commercial spaceflight, because we do not need bureaucracies to review and approve this work. We will continue to do this while helping our nation's youth become fluent in the language of science.

That language including its dialects involving data and statistics, analysis and applied mathematics is as critical to improving our public schools as it is indispensable to maintaining the competitive edge of our most prestigious colleges and universities.

We need to inaugurate this space age with moral energy equal to the physical energy of the earliest human spaceflight missions, where media convene and crowds converge to cheer the efforts of our greatest explorers.

We need to highlight the benefits of space-based research, ensuring the program has the economic and educational support to thrive.

We need, in short, to make the space age popular again.

We can achieve that goal and we can exceed that promise if we do our duty, by making the possible probable and the hypothetical (to some) undeniably real.

Let us fulfill this dream of reviving the space age through hands-on education, for the good of science and the betterment of students and, ultimately, employers throughout America.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Follow this link:
To Inspire Future Space Travelers, Bring Space-Based Research to Schools - Space.com

EDWARDSVILLE Before their first day of classes, approximately 650 incoming Southern Illinois University Edwardsville freshmen were loaded into buses on Saturday, Aug. 19 and transported to Metro East farms, gardens, wetlands and more to learn a valuable lesson about community service.

We want to introduce them to SIUEs value of citizenship and what it means for them, said Sarah Laux, assistant director of civic engagement with SIUEs Kimmel Student Involvement Center. We want them to start early in providing service to their community and thinking about how they can give back.

The locations were chosen based on their needs and because some are in partnership with SIUE, according to Laux. For example, La Vista CSA Farm provides produce for Campus Kitchen at SIUE.

The students conducted an array of jobs such as planting, weeding, mulching, harvesting, removing invasive species and painting. The sites where students worked:

Watershed Nature Center is an organization dedicated to providing environmental education, passive recreation, and enjoyment of native habitats.

Willoughby Farm is part of the Collinsville Area Recreation District (CARD). It is a place where the history of the area comes alive through historic structures, original tools, replica gardens and a restored environment.

Arlington Wetlands is an American Bottom wetland acquired by the Collinsville Area Recreation District (CARD) with efforts to bring the land to full restoration. Because of its proximity to the confluence of the Missouri, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, Arlington Wetlands plays a major role in the migration of waterfowl throughout the year.

The Granite City Community Gardens (GCCG) is a network that brings neighbors together to create and sustain gardens that benefit the Granite City community.

La Vista CSA Farm is community-supported agriculture.

Beverly Farm is home to nearly 400 individuals who live with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Garden of Harmony (Aya Grows) is a nonprofit initiative in East St. Louis that invests in ecological enrichment, community solidarity and personal empowerment through creative community-based place making.

These sites gave the students a sense of our diverse community and the diverse needs, Laux. Also, a lot of these sites have continuing needs, so students who want to continue to volunteer can.

Here is the original post:
The Telegraph | SIUE students learn about community service - Alton Telegraph

By Shelia Baynes, Guest Columnist

At a time when many Americans are thinking harder about racial issues and equity, members of the Marsala Giving Circle and othershave been commemoratingBlackPhilanthropy Month in August.

Historically, charity tends to be instilled in the African American experience. For us, philanthropy isnt a late-in-life revelation or practice, but rather an embedded value and way of being for many in our communities.

For generations we have given time, talent and treasure in order to strengthen our communities through helping friends, neighbors and family when theyre in need. Some of our earliest memories are those of passing around collection boxes down the church pew.

We established African American organizations and groups to uplift and support each other when it was difficult to receive help from other entities. There were no fancy words for it we simply called it giving back because thats exactly what it was.

When the Masala Giving Circle, made up of a local group of successful African American businesswomen, was founded through the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in 2013, it joined a growing group of black philanthropic organizations across the globe. We had one mission: Promote economic and personal empowerment through financial support for programs and initiatives that benefit African American communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Our vision was to continue a legacy of giving back by establishing a more formal way for us, as African American women, to make a difference in our community and beyond.

Pooling our money together, were proud to have awarded since our founding more than $20,000 in grant money to nonprofits thathelp meetAfrican American needs in our community. More Too Life, Turning Points, the Newtown Farmers Market, Pearls of Excellence, and the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex are all organizations that have benefited directly from our philanthropy.

However, our support goes beyond a financial transaction. A key component to Masalas philosophy is sharing our long history of philanthropy and bringing awareness to, and creating conversation around, black philanthropic causes. So we proudly join the numerous African American Giving Circles across the United States that celebrate and give recognition to Black Philanthropy Month.

Started in 2011 by Dr. Jacqueline Copeland-Carson and the Pan-African Womens Philanthropy Network, the commemorative month affirms a commitment of all black philanthropic organizations to empower their communities and aims to strengthen social investments, volunteerism, activism and advocacy toward promoting the future of people and communities of African descent.

In past years, Black Philanthropy Month luncheon forums were hosted to celebrate and hear from local African American philanthropists in recognition of their lifelong commitment to making a difference.

Our region is rich with women who have been doing this work for many years and continue to do so. Audrey Coleman, Lois Watson and Sophia LaRusso are all local names who embody the spirit of giving back and have had a life-long commitment to philanthropy.

I thank these women, and all others, who leave an extraordinary legacy of giving and work to lift up important stories, spotlight good work, educate the generations, and inspire collective action to advance justice for all African American people.

Now and for years to come, I invite all people of African ancestry and allied friends of ours to continue to promote the power of giving to transform lives.

Shelia Baynes is the founder and president of the Masala Giving Circle. For more information about the Masala Giving Circle, visit http://www.MasalaGiving.com.

See more here:
Baynes: African Americans giving back - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

As you get ready to send the children back to school, here are some tips from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to help make the process easier:

As parents prepare to send their children into the halls of secondary schools, the concern of many is the performance of their child throughout the tenure of high school. That is our concern as well. With a new school, come new challenges and new expectations.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is aware that all students are unique in their style of leaning. To ensure all students have an equal opportunity of learning, we have created the Alternative Pathways to Secondary Education (APSE).

The results from your child's Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), or the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination starting in 2019, will determine the pathway he or she is placed in during the monitored years of their secondary journey. This is not a final pathway; as your children progress, they are advanced to the suitable pathway based on their achievements. Students will also be supported during their years of secondary school with the aid of student support pathway coaches.

The APSE is an initiative that is based on tailored curricula that enables learners to perform at his or her fullest potential based on aptitude, interest and ability. This initiative has three pathways: Pathway I (SPI), Pathway II (SPII) and Pathway III (SP III).

Students on Pathway will have access to the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) through grades seven to 13 as per the appropriate syllabi. This pathway allows students to access the necessary exit examination based on their abilities inclusive of the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC), City and Guilds, Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) and the National Vocational Qualification of Jamaica (NVQJ).

Support is integral for all students to excel and this is indicative of Secondary Pathway II. It isn't permanent. Pathway II is a two-year transitional programme that aids students who might need additional instructional support. There will be an evaluation at grade eight which will determine the crossover into either SP I or SP II.

The Secondary Pathway III supports students who have not mastered the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy examination. This pathway will be taught through a curriculum in the following subjects: mathematics, English kanguage, communication, social studies and science. Their academic journey will also be enhanced with personal empowerment, technical and vocational instruction, as well as the performing and creative arts. At grade nine, a career interest inventory will be administered to determine their path under the Career Advancement Programme (CAP).

The Career Advancement Programme (CAP) is an initiative under the ministry that seeks to create opportunities for students ages 16 to 18 who are currently in secondary schools or have graduated. It is offered at selected secondary schools, and other private and government centres across the island. Under CAP, students may seek to advance through three pathways: the technical, traditional and general pathways. Our traditional and technical components are offered at 110 centres across the island while the general Pathway is facilitated through the Jamaica for Life Long Leaning (JFLL).

The CAP will also provide two additional years to assist students who wish to pursue CSEC or technical and vocational courses as required for matriculation into the world of work. This means if students weren't successful in their CSEC subjects, there is hope through the CAP! We have also allocated $40,000 each to assist 40 students who are enrolled in approved sixth-form programmes and are pursuing the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), or a National Council on Technical, Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) skill.

For further information, please visit our website at http://www.moey.gov.jm or call 967-9020 or 967-7802. To apply for CAP, click on the logo and complete form.

Read the rest here:
Back-to-School Corner | Multiple education pathways at secondary level - Jamaica Gleaner

Think and Grow Rich was written in 1937 by Napoleon Hill, promoted as a personal development and self-improvement book. Hill writes that he was inspired by a suggestion from business magnate and later-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.[1] While the book's title and much of the text concerns increased income, the author insists that the philosophy taught in the book can help people succeed in any line of work, to do and be anything they can imagine.[2] First published during the Great Depression,[3] at the time of Hill's death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold more than 20 million copies, and by 2015 over 100 million copies had been sold worldwide.[4][5] It remains the biggest seller of Napoleon Hill's books. BusinessWeek magazine's Best-Seller List ranked it the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was published.[6]Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell's A Lifetime "Must Read" Books List. [7]

The text of Think and Grow Rich is based on Hill's earlier work The Law of Success, said to be the result of more than twenty years of study of many individuals who had amassed personal fortunes.[3]

Hill studied their habits and evolved 16 "laws" to be applied to achieve success. Think and Grow Rich condenses them, providing the reader with 13 principles in the form of a "Philosophy of Achievement".[3]Mark Hansen has said time has shown that two of the laws/principles are most important: 1) The MasterMind principle/process and 2) "Know very clearly where you want to go."

The book asserts that desire, faith and persistence can propel one to great heights if one can suppress negative thoughts and focus on long-term goals.

The 13 "steps" listed in the book are:

There are several courses created from the Think and Grow Rich content and principles.

Earl Nightingale co-created with Napoleon Hill a 30-minute audio summary of the book titled "Think and Grow Rich: Instant Motivator".

The first edition of Think and Grow Rich was released in March 1937. Hill claimed that despite limited promotion, the original print run of 5,000 sold out in six weeks, at $2.50 a copy, and that another 10,000 copies sold out again in another six weeks. The third print run totaled 20,000.[9]W. Clement Stone wrote: "One of the most important days in my life was the day I began to read Think and Grow Rich in 1937.[10]

Think and Grow Rich was revised in 1960, and published by Crest Book, Fawcett Publications. The revised edition had a testimonial from W. Clement Stone on the inside front cover page: More men and women have been motivated to achieve success because of reading Think and Grow Rich than by any other book written by a living author. [11] In 1987, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton hosted a TV infomercial that sold the 1960 version with an audio cassette version of the book (the audio cassettes contained an introduction and conclusion by Tarkenton and supplemental study guides).[12] In the introduction, Tarkenton stated that he believed Think and Grow Rich to be "the greatest most honored formula for success that has ever been developed."[13]

Excerpt from:
Think and Grow Rich - Wikipedia

Are you on track to attain your financial dreams? Most people are not. If you're hungry, financial freedom is possible.

You need specific written goals and a plan of action. Good mentors are crucial for learning and accountability. Realize that you won't reach your financial dreams by simply working hard to trade your time for money. Financial success requires that you build a passive income system. Don't discount your future. Learn how to launch your unstoppable cycle of success.

Attaining financial freedom requires burning discontent with the limitations of your life today. Hunger motivates changes to get on a new path leading to your vision of the future. An appetite for success demands something different than the familiar complacency that 95 percent of people accept as reality. In "Launching a Leadership Revolution," Orin Woodward and Chris Brady state, "Hunger provides the energy to begin, the stamina to persist, and the will to finish an endeavor."

Why do you want financial freedom? What were you put on this Earth to do? Those who strive to fulfill their purpose attain success. Napoleon Hill, author of "Think and Grow Rich," said, "One must realize that all who accumulate great fortunes first did a certain amount of dreaming, hoping, wishing, desiring and planning before they acquired money." What would you do if time and money were not limitations? What is your dream for your family and friends? How will you be remembered?

Dreams require specific goals with a timeline, otherwise they are fantasies. The Second Law of Thermodynamics says the universe spontaneously reconfigures to increase entropy (i.e., disorder) and minimize potentials. That applies to your potential, too. A plan of action launches you on a trajectory toward success, but life continually knocks you off course. Remember, "goals are etched in stone, but plans are drawn in sand." Be resolved to constant course corrections to attain your goals.

How do you set goals and plan for a future of abundance? In "The Slight Edge," Jeff Olson talks of "The Law of Association" that shows every aspect of your life equals the average of the five people closest to you. Napoleon Hill revealed that successful people create a "mastermind," a group of achievement-oriented individuals who amount to more than the sum of their parts. Associate with the 5 percent of people who choose to elevate their existence and serve their purpose.

Seek counsel from people who have achieved what you want. It's said that experience is not the best teacher; other people's experience is. Warren Buffett said the keys to financial success are eliminating debt and investing in self-education. Good mentors help you learn and grow and they hold you accountable. Read educational books and listen to empowering audios. Enroll in seminars on finance and leadership. Join a community of people who will lift you. Create your own "mastermind."

Trading your time for money won't result in financial freedom. Active income is limited by your finite time. Robert Kiyosaki points out in "The Cashflow Quadrant" that average people can attain financial freedom by building a passive income business system. Leveraging a system is like building a pipeline so you can stop carrying buckets of water. Associate with those people who can teach you how to establish passive income on the side while excelling at your current job.

According to Kiyosaki, the first key to wealth is long-term vision. Financial success is achieved by those who put great effort into attaining dreams and purpose. Research shows it takes 10,000 hours to gain mastery in any endeavor, including the passive business system to gain your financial freedom. Stay focused on your purpose and don't give up. An unstoppable cycle of success begins as financial growth enables purpose; fulfillment of purpose increases happiness; and happiness fosters further success.

Financial freedom depends on faith and liberty. Faith in purpose instills hunger and liberty enables free enterprise. Excessive government control and high taxes rob us of freedom and the opportunity to build wealth. Our Founders established a nation to protect "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," giving every citizen a chance to work toward financial freedom. Stand against those who strive to give away your freedom to government in hopes that it will confiscate and spread your wealth.

Henry David Thoreau said, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation." Have you given up on your dreams? Do you think your purpose is just fantasy? Buying into such beliefs is a costly mistake. You have the power to live your financial dreams. Write out your vision. Develop goals and a plan with a timeline. Seek mentors and commit to constant learning. Build a passive income business system. Launch your unstoppable cycle of success.

James D. Kellogg is an engineering consultant, author, and business system advocate. He is the founder of RadicalActionForLife.com and the author of "Radical Action: A Colt Kelley Thriller". Look for the novel on amazon.com and visit JamesDKellogg.com or email jameskellogg@comcast.net.

Read more from the original source:
Kellogg column: Launch your unstoppable cycle of success, attain financial freedom - Glenwood Springs Post Independent

Steve Strauss, Special for USA TODAY Published 12:46 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2017 | Updated 1:26 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2017

The late Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurants.(Photo: PRN)

Welcome to this years annual Small Biz Quiz. This summer, it's the Famous Business edition.

1. Ben and Jerrys, as we know especially in the summer, makes great ice cream. Why did they start an ice cream shop in Vermont?

A. Because the price for bagel-making equipment was too highB. Because Bens mother had an amazing recipe for ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie dough ice creamC. Because they had both recently been laid off

MORE:Steve Strauss'column page

2. A few years after launch, FedEx faced a cash crunch and probable bankruptcy. How did founder Fred Smith stay afloat?

A. He used his own money to coverB. He flew to Vegas with the last $5,000 in the till and parlayed it into $32,000C. He missed payroll for the first time

3. Did you use a Post-it today? One study says that the average worker gets 11 Post-it messages a day. How were they invented?

A. A 3M scientist was trying to create a super-sticky glue but in a failed experiment ended up with a sorta-sticky glueB. A 3M researcher was trying to create a new type of bookmarkC. 3M offered a $1 million prize for best new office product

4. In 1998, the co-founder of Dominos Pizza sold his majority stake of the company, which was worth more than $1 billion. For how much did the other co-founder sell his share to his partner 38 years prior?

A. $1B. For a used Volkswagen BeetleC. $27,444

5. What was the original intention behind the invention of Silly Putty?

A. It was a failed attempt at making a synthetic rubber to be used by the Allies in WWIIB. It was supposed to be a putty that fixed leaky pipesC. It was supposed to be a hair replacement goop

6. Speaking of failures, even Apple has had them. In 1983, Apple introduced Lisa, a precursor to the Macintosh. Why did the Lisa fail?

A. It cost $10,000B. It weighed 48 poundsC. Both of the above

7. Remember the DeLorean auto? (Think Back to the Future.) Automaker John DeLorean was arrested in an alleged scheme to save his failing auto company. For what was he arrested (and later acquitted)?

A. Bilking investors out of $100 millionB. Bilking the Northern Ireland government out of $100 millionC. For trafficking in drugs, after prosecutors said he tried to buy cocaine in a Los Angeles hotel for re-sale in an attempt to fill company coffers

8. Dave Thomas was the founder of Wendys. While still a teenager, Thomas went to work for a man who became his mentor. Who was it?

A. Ray Kroc, founder of McDonaldsB. The real Ronald McDonaldC. The real Colonel Sanders

9. Whose was the first stylized Face on the first Facebook logo?

A. Mark ZuckerbergB. Al PacinoC. Steve Jobs

10. What was the first book ever sold on Amazon.com?

A. Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies. A book about artificial intelligenceB. Think and Grow Rich. The classic by Napoleon HillC. The Small Business Bible. Apparently, a great small business book.

Happy summer, all. Dont work too hard!

Answers: 1-A, 2-B, 3-A (with B providing a kind of "Eureka" moment as to how to use it), 4-B, 5-A, 6-C, 7-C, 8-C, 9-B, 10-A

Steve Strauss, @Steve Strauss on Twitter, is a lawyer specializing in small business and entrepreneurship and has been writing for USATODAY.com for 20 years. E-mail: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com. You can learn more about Steve at MrAllBiz.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2x16DXN

Continued here:
Entrepreneurs, time to test your business knowledge - USA TODAY