“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

 Viktor Frankl

Author of  ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’

 There’s More to Life than Being Happy

 Being happy is a goal that most people pursue consciously or unconsciously; the media focuses on it relentlessly; even our Declaration of Independence references “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” as one of our unalienable rights.  But should happiness be our goal…or is there even something more fundamental that we should strive for?.   Take a minute for a short but truly thought provoking article that posits that There’s More to Life than Being Happy .  I hope you’ll share it with your friends and family.

Closing the Achievement Gap

Recently experimental learning programs have had good success creating classes that raise test scores in young students, but how are they doing at creating long-term success?  The answer is not so well – apparently there’s more to life achievement than just knowledge and book smarts (something I think we all knew intuitively).  Paul Tough’s book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character  reports that life skills like “grit,” – the passionate dedication to a goal – and the ability to stay focused and control impulses are more important to success than cognitive skills.  Read more in the book review  Stay focused in this week’s The Economist .

Econ Recon:  More on the 2013 Economy

Economist Brian Wesbury continues his look ahead at the 2013 Economy in his Wesbury 101 Video Series.  And Vistage Staff Economist and ITR President Alan Beaulieu looks at recent housing data (which has been excellent) and  warns that winds may be changing as we look ahead to 2014.

 Robots- Who Should be Worried ?  (It’s not just the American Worker)

Many people have difficulty reconciling the fact that economic recovery is about to enter its fourth year with another stubborn fact…..this recovery has not been accompanied by a commensurate decline in the unemployment rate  (though total employment has in fact grown).  A major reason is the remarkable productivity growth of recent years: not only by people working harder, but also due to the increasing presence of robots in the work place.   A recent 60 Minutes segment looked at how robotics has impacted not only the American workplace but also the countries where so many American jobs have been exported in search of lower labor cost.   This 13 minute overview of the current status and future direction of robotics in the workplace and its impact on the economy and society is worth your time…..as it will no doubt affect the employment status of many of us.