The Inspiring Story of 2 Americans Who Decide to Speak No English for a Year.

Scott and his friend Vat are embarking on an awesome learning project - live in 4 countries for three months each and attempt to speak NO English for the entire year.

Scott's website chronicles his journey, and I found his first video of his time in Valencia, Spain, to be - well - fascinating. Here's an example of how complete immersion forces you to learn, adapt and think in ways you didn't think possible, and quickly too.

Learning Spanish in 11 Weeks | 10-Min Documentary from The Year Without English on Vimeo.

What are We Meant to Do?

"Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us out of your contribution. Give us what you've got." Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Get Unstuck

I often wish there were an easy answer to all of my problems - big or small. Sometimes we just want someone (or some higher power perhaps?) to tell us what to do.

Which is why I love the idea behind Unstuck, a new iPad app that helps you to "live better every day" with a series of questions, tools and guides to help you navigate through whatever is keeping you stuck.

While it won't solve all of your problems, it's one of the most unique and innovative personal development apps I've seen in awhile and I am a big fan.

One of the Best Comebacks of All Time

He was fired from the company he founded. Deemed incompetent and unable to lead. And then he returned, dominated, and never looked back.

Movie Dreams Can Come True...

...with a little imagination, some creativity and a whole lot of people.

I came across this story (albeit it is from last year) and thought it was so awesome that National Geographic would attempt to recreate that gorgeous scene from Up.  Very, very cool.

As an entrepreneur who is working hard to get my new business off the grown, there are days where the vision of what I want this company to be seems so big and so far away that I can't fathom how I make it through.

But then I see images like these and as silly as it sounds, I get that little boost of energy and confidence that I need to keep on going.

Click here for more photos and the full story. 

When All You Want to Do is Just Quit

Author Unknown

Why Giving Attention Makes a Difference

Have you ever taken a day to notice what you pay the most attention to? We might not be aware of it, but those around us certainly do. And it controls our lives more than we think.

Kare Anderson writes an interesting piece in the Harvard Business Review on how attention controls our lives. Hired by Disney World executive as a cultural anthropologist to understand what captured the attention of kids at their theme park, she observed that it wasn't the "Disney Magic" that most captured their attention - it was their parents' cell phones. She observes "those kids clearly understood what held their parents' attention - and they wanted it too."

So the next time you're with your kids, your team or your significant other - put the phone away. Turn off the laptop and give your undivided attention.

And when you're feeling negative and pessimistic, know that we are capable of physically rewiring our brains to focus on the positive simply by being aware of what we're giving our attention to.

Jobs and Gates... on losing

They talk about losing in different senses, but are they really so different?

Failure makes you smarter. Finality makes you bolder. You just have to keep going.