• “DELIBERATION IS ESSENTIAL TO DECISION-MAKING FOR OPTIMAL OUTCOMES, but “there comes a point when contemplation turns into overthinking which squanders valuable time & energy instead of taking action steps” which impedes both efficiency and effectiveness. A cycle of overthinking can be improved by: (1) “Putting aside Perfectionism – because it operates on a faulty all-or-nothing thinking that there’s only one ‘right’ option; (2) Prioritizing goals and impacts – like which decision will likely have the biggest positive impact, and who in the organization will be acting on it; (3) Leveraging the underestimated power of your intuition – an automatic process faster than rational thought; research shows that pairing intuition with analytical thinking helps make better, faster & more accurate decisions, plus gives more confidence; (4) Calendar ‘constraints’ – setting personal timelines to avoid letting overthinking waste an inordinate amount of time & energy.” The additional benefit is lessening your susceptibility to stress & anxiety from becoming overwhelmed.  [HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW – 2/10/21]
  • “MEDIOCRITY IS NOW MANDATORY… In the name of Equity, it’s better to be mediocre than manifest merit… which is a pretense constructed to rationalize an unjust distribution of advantage – the Meritocracy Trap, as taught at Yale… Leaders are acting as if ‘ease’ is the only worthy goal.”  Examples include: high schools dropping Honors classes “to combat the effects of academic ‘tracking’ because it separates students of different socioeconomic & racial backgrounds”; SAT subject & essay tests now eliminated by the College Board; University of California admissions now based on “holistic assessment of unique experiences with Grades being a suggestion”; papers & exams returned with Comments but without Grades; and the new Federal V.P. & Cabinet selections based on announced ‘gender & race’ versus best (or necessarily qualified). “American exceptionalism stems from excellence, which doesn’t come from luck or laziness but from hard work and perseverance.”  [WALL STREET JRNL – 2/7/21]
  • WOKE LANGUAGE UPDATE: Some UK hospitals have now set Clinical Language Guidelines “to support trans and non-binary (including agender, bigender and genderqueer) people as birthing parents and co-parents, to celebrate and affirm their journeys into parenthood… to improve access and health outcomes for marginalized & disadvantaged groups.” A 19-page document now instructs replacement of words including: ‘Birthing Parents’ versus mother, ‘Human Milk’ instead of breast milk, ‘Hand Held or Post Natal Care’ versus Maternal Notes, ‘Co-parent’ versus father, and ‘Woman & Person.’   [NEW YORK POST – 2/10/21]
  • LATEST SURVEYS SUGGEST THAT 38% OF PEOPLE AGES 18 TO 30 NOW HAVE AT LEAST ONE TATTOO, with most unaware of the exposure risk from inks which contain “pigments derived from heavy metals, including mercury, lead, nickel & cadmium, some classified by federal & international agencies as human carcinogens… Studies have found that toxic dyes which leach from tattoo sites result in accelerated tumor growth which can greatly increase cancer to metastasize, along with weakened immunity to ward off infections & diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, emphysema, blood clots, Crohn’s, heart, kidneys, liver, and senescent cells associated with shortened lifespan… Tattoo decisions should not be made lightly.”  [LIFE EXTENSION – 3/21]
  • THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:    “Failures always blame others. The greater a person’s sense of guilt, the greater their need to cast blame on others.”