DianaHale

Inspiring People

Learning to Code

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About six years ago, I taught myself WordPress, and was ecstatic when I was able to create my very first website!

I never dreamed that I would go on to learn HTML, CSS, Java, and Ruby on Rails. Who inspired me to learn computer code? A most unlikely candidate.

Karlie Kloss is an entrepreneur who has been modeling professionally since she was discovered at age 13. Karlie has worked in campaigns for top designers, including Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein, Versace, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. She has been recognized for her entrepreneurship and philanthropic work on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.

Karlie became interested in technology after meeting entrepreneurs who were building tech businesses through coding. She wanted more young women to get into computer coding, calling it a “creative, artistic expression”.

Karlie’s personal passion for coding led her to launch a nonprofit that empowers young women to code and become leaders in the tech industry. Her Kode with Klossy coding program has expanded to 50 summer camps in 25 cities across the United States. This year it will train over 1,000 students.

If these young girls could learn computer code, I was sure I could. I decided to give coding a try, and I am glad I did. It opened a whole new world for me.

You can learn to code too! Check out Lynda.com for a huge selection of courses, no matter what your skill level is.

A Gratitude Practice to Resolve Internal Conflict

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tony-robbinsI am a huge fan of Tim Ferriss’s blog and podcast!

A few weeks ago, Tim posted an interview with Tony Robbins, the nationally recognized life coach.

During the interview, Tony talked about the fact that most people have unfinished business in lives. They have a conflict in their lives with a situation or person that is so stressful that they have never been able to resolve it. He walked through a science-based guided meditation that anyone can use to resolve these conflicts.

Tony’s guided meditation was so popular with podcast listeners that Tim Ferriss decided to post it as a stand-alone audio file. I tried it myself, and thought it was great!

You can access the guided meditation here: Tony Robbins on How to Resolve Internal Conflict

Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday With Tony Robbins

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Tony Robbins OprahThis morning Oprah did a great interview with Tony Robbins!

Tony is a well-know life coach, who has reached more than 50 million people with his books and videos.  Another 4 million people have attended his live seminars.

People come to Tony for help transforming their body, increasing their income, improving their relationships, or mastering some achievement.

However, underneath it all, Tony believes that what people really need is a life that is about more than just themselves.  There is only so much happiness we can get from food, entertainment, or any other pleasure.  When we have a beautiful experience, the first thing we want to do is share it with someone we love.  This is because we are wired to connect, and sharing the experience magnifies it.

Tony has found that most of us have a belief that we are not enough in some area of our life.  We are not smart enough, young enough, thin enough, rich enough, funny enough, or something enough.  That belief leads to the feeling that “I won’t be loved,” and it is a painful feeling because love is the oxygen of life.

Tony says that worry and stress are also common.  This is because human brain evolved to help us survive, and it is always looking for threats.  It doesn’t have a saber tooth tiger to worry about anymore.  Instead it worries about things like “How do I look? or “What do people think of me?”

When you are in a negative emotional state, you can’t solve problems or improve your life.  When you are angry or depressed, you don’t have good relationships.  When you are worried or stressed, you can’t solve problems.  When you feel guilty because you didn’t do enough, you don’t have the energy to make changes, and it takes high energy to make changes.  However, when you are in positive emotional states like love, creativity, or gratitude, you can find solutions.

Tony shared a meditation that he uses to help people get into a positive emotional state so that they can solve problems.  Here are the steps:

  • Think of an unresolved issue in your life – something that is really bothering you.  (Examples would be a health concern, a relationship situation, or a problem at work.)
  • Then think of one thing in your life that you are really grateful for.  Something that is a beautiful blessing in your life.  (Examples might include a special event, or your children’s faces.)  Focus on it and enjoy it thinking about it.  Really take it in.
  • Repeat this process with two other things you are grateful for.
  • In this positive state of gratitude, think of the problem that is bothering you.
  • Complete these sentences: All I need to remember is . . .?  All I need to focus on is . . .?  All I need to believe is . . .?  All I need to do is . . .?
  • Solutions will come to you.

This exercise works because it is impossible to be in a state of gratitude and  a negative emotional state at the same time!

Tony had a lot more helpful suggestions.  You can watch the whole video at Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday Facebook page, or on her youtube channel.

J.K. Rowling – Very Good Lives

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JK Rowling HarvardToday one of my Facebook friends posted a short excerpt of J.K. Rowling’s commencement address at Harvard University in 2008.

I found the excerpt so moving that I immediately watched the whole speech on youtube!

In 2008, this speech quickly became the most-viewed commencement address on Harvard University’s website.

In 2015, the speech was transformed into a gift book entitled Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.

Sales of this book will benefit Lumos, a non-profit international organization founded by J.K. Rowling, which works to end the institutionalization of children around the world. It will also benefit university-wide financial aid at Harvard University.

I highly recommend watching the entire 2008 Harvard University commencement address.

You can watch the excerpt here.

J.K. Rowling – A Rags To Riches Story

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J.K. RowlingYou probably know that J.K. Rowling is the British billionaire author of the beloved Harry Potter series of fantasy novels for children.

I love the story of J.K. Rowling’s rise to fame and fortune!

J.K. was always very imaginative. She wanted to be a writer, but her father encouraged her to choose a more practical career – like being a secretary. Her mother encouraged her to follow her heart.

J.K. Rowling attended the University of Exeter. After graduating, she moved to London, and began working as a researcher and secretary at Amnesty International.  Later she moved to Manchester.

In 1990, the idea for the Harry Potter series came to J.K. while she was stuck on a delayed train between Manchester and London.  As soon as she got home, she started to write the book.

J.K. Rowling eventually moved to Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She continued to work on her book in her spare time.  While she was there she married a local television reporter, and they had a daughter. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last long.

J.K. left Portugal and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to be near her sister. She saw herself as a failure because she was a divorced, unemployed, single mother who was dependent on welfare benefits. However, J.K. did not waste her time. She focused on her writing.

In 1995, J.K. Rowling finished her manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The book was submitted to twelve publishing houses, all of which rejected the manuscript.

A year later, the book was finally accepted by Bloomsbury, a publishing house in London. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Philosopher’s Stone, and it won several book awards.

In October 1998, the book was published in the U.S. under the title of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry Potter became a huge commercial success, and a franchise that continues to grow today.

In three years, J.K. Rowling went from being a single mother on welfare to one of the richest women in Great Britain!

It has been estimated that more than 400 million copies of J.K. Rowling’s books have been sold worldwide. Every 30 seconds, someone in the world starts reading a Harry Potter book.

I think the lesson we can learn from J.K. Rowling’s story is that you should follow your heart!

Heaven Sent

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Luke AikinsYesterday I watched the most amazing thing!

Luke Aikins, a 42-year-old husband, father, and third generation sky-diver, jumped out of a plane at 25,000 feet with no parachute or wing-suit, and landed in a 100-by-100 foot net!

Why did he do it?

When a Fox News reporter asked him this question, he shrugged and said that it was “simply the next logical step in a lifetime of extreme challenges.”

I love the fact that we are all different! We want different things, different challenges, and different experiences. This is what makes the world so interesting.

You can watch Luke Aikins’ death-defying jump in this video.

You can learn more about Luke Aikins and Heaven Sent in this video.

What is the “next logical step” in your lifetime of challenges?

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