Editor’s Note: Thanks to Bob Miller for sending this to me, a deep and somewhat troubling article. We all knew that our own upbringing in relatively reasonable financial circumstance gave us advantages such as education, example and stability. But it had never really occurred to me such things as diet, neighbors and urgent problems caused by living in scarcity would make “even you and me” dumber. The article’s conclusions are not as certain to me as the findings of the research which intuitively make sense. Being stupid doesn’t necessarily make one poor but poverty may make one less aware and capable of rational decisions.

Editor’s Note: Reading this book requires great patience, both in reading (it’s deep) and in seeing mistakes in my thinking that I’d rather deny. Nobel prize- winning psychologist and author Daniel Kahneman drags us into our own decision-making process by using lots of examples with his points. The “summary of the summary” is that we each operate from two behaviors called here System 1 and System 2. System 1 is our intuitive (fast) brain which responds quickly and often involuntarily. System 2 is our deliberative (slow) brain which requires deeper thought. Both are needed: System 1 to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a child vs. thinking about slamming on the brakes; System 2 when shopping vs. making a list at home before going shopping. Kahneman’s overall thesis is that just by understanding more about how we make decisions, we might dramatically reduce the chronic errors we all make.

Note from Tim: Our Foundation’s Managing Director, Bill Leamon, wrote an update for our board recently about a young man he is mentoring named Chris, and I asked him to share his story for our June update. Peace. 

Editor's Note: It’s always refreshing to not only see a celebrity share his or her mental anguish with others, but do so on their own terms. Counting Crows’ front man Adam Duritz wrote Colorblind, a song about his grappling with a dissociative disorder, a complete disconnect with reality to the point of losing time, and in some cases, place.

Editor's Note: The author concludes the article with the assertion that "the psychological toughness needed to be a social entrepreneur can’t be taught. It has to be lived. Only individuals who are deeply passionate about the challenge they aim to solve combined with a personal connection to the issue itself will persevere and truly make an impact on the world." Truth. 

Editor's Note: I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Yang at the City Club of Cleveland and found him to be a humble and down-to-earth guy. In his book, Andrew charts a course for smart and ambitious college students to pursue a path of entrepreneurship instead of money, prestige, and security, and outlines the economic and societal benefits of doing so. His Venture for America organization places high-potential recent college graduates in companies and communities, including Cleveland, to help them flourish, and create new opportunities for themselves and others in the process. Enjoy.   

Here it comes again. It’s April of 2015 and the first two presidential candidates are off and running for November of 2016.

Editor’s Note: This gospel-inspired song from my youth reminds me of the days the world’s awareness of social justice were dawning.  It was used, as so many songs of the day, as a rallying cry – who knows for what? But over time, these kinds of songs make me wonder if artists like Mayfield planted a seed in our souls for the work so many of my generation now do. When I heard it in the coffee shop the other day, I went home and downloaded it on my ITunes and played it about 30 times in a row.  

Editor's note: This article blew me away for two reasons:

Editor’s Note: If you own all or part of a business, this is a must-read. One way or another you will exit your business, as Burlingham says, even if on a stretcher. This book is an easy read for me since I got through most of what the author is teaching, primarily because it was taught to me in our peer group, Vistage. My exit was not entirely graceful and I wish my creation would have prospered more after we sold. But it was also not as difficult as it is for many others. Most of all I love the advice he gives around the idea that whether you exit or not, preparing for an exit will make you build a better business.