INVESTMENTS

 When choosing an investment,  these three principles of a corporation should be considered: environmental, social, and governance.  The corporation should be concerned with environmental issues like climate change, reducing carbon emissions, pollution, energy use, waste, and conservation.  Social issues like human rights, labor standards, diversity, and inclusion should be important to the corporation.  Corporate governance includes relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and the communities where it operates, plus fair pay for executives and other workers, internal controls, audits, and  shareholders rights. 

Of course our investments should produce profits, but just as important are these ESG principles and standards of behavior.  Your investments should not only benefit your pocketbook, but also be an asset to the world now and for the future.     

LISTEN and SPEAK

 Many methods of communication are available these days, but listening and speaking face-to-face in person has many advantages.  Many decades ago this along with snail mail were the main ways to communicate, then the telephone, smart phone, texting, and email added to the methods.  

Perhaps the best communication is still in person.  One obvious challenge to make this happen is distance; we may not live close enough to easily do this.  We may also have gotten used to the ease and comvenience of sending quick brief texts. 

Surly, we still see the value of spending time with the other person.  The value of being with each other in the same room, the social aspect, the addition of sharing our lives with each other, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice are among the many advantages of communicating in person.  The quick back and forth in response to each other is easier.  The conversation can take many turns and the subject can change.

Those family members living under the same roof have many opportunities to communicate as long as they make the time and effort, as longs as they don't let other distractions interfere.  Friends and neighbors can also listen and speak to each other.

We all appreciate the convenience of texting, but hopefully this will not become our main way of communicatimg.  A phone call is one step better to hear the voice and expand the emotional connection.  Texting, however, does have advantages.  We need to stay connected.

Please consider the effect your methods of communication have on others.     

HOT

 Too hot for humans and many animals.  Our bodies can't tolerate continued heat and can develop heat stroke.  We rely on air conditioning to survive.  

Our planet is changing and we are at fault.  Extreme heat causes the soil and vegetation to dry out which creates the condition for fires to spread rapidly.  This further reduces the number of trees which help keep the atmosphere healthy.  

Many workers must perform their jobs outside; they aren't in air conditioned buildings.  Their work may involve creating and maintaining infrastructure or working on farms.  This allows us to travel and eat.  Many of us are crowded into urban areas and depend on others to bring our food to grocery stores.  

Become aware of what we humans are doing to our planet.      

GROWTH MIND-SET

 Both mind-sets can exist in your brain, but the more you develop a growth mind-set, the more successful you will be.

A fixed mind-set makes us feel we know best, that we want to stay in our comfort zone and avoid mistakes.  A growth mind-set makes us feel we can change our minds, welcome feedback, and realize mistakes help us learn.

A growth mind-set can help in our personal lives, in our careers, and allow us to develop ways to cooperate and even become effective leaders.  This mind-set broadens our thinking to understand ourselves and others.