. Talking about things that no one else can understand does not make you smart. Genius is the ability to translate the complex into the simple. Practice explaining concepts to others. See just how simple and clear you can make your explanations. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Asking questions may allow you to re-evaluate your own beliefs, or point out the flaws in theirs. Keep an open mind. The more intelligent you are the more questions you will ask of the people around you. to people. Practicing kindness in the face of challenges is a sign of maturity, class, and intelligence. Remember that you also have a lot to learn from other people. Being kind to them will allow you access to their lives and experience. Who knows what you might learn?

Summary: Simplify Learn to listen carefully to others' opinions about controversial things or things they know about and you do not. Be nice

To the extent that you are able, help create a positive environment for the person to work on his/her goals. Help remove distractions and other obstacles. This is easy if the person is someone you live with like a spouse, family member, or roommate. You can help be removing distractions and temptations from your home. For example, if a family member who is trying to quit smoking always smokes in a chair on the porch, remove the chair. Even if you don't live with the person who is striving for a goal, you may still be able to help. For example, if the person is a coworker, you can try to remove distractions at work. For instance, you might be able to take on an extra task to free them to focus more on their personal goals. Motivation and perseverance are crucial to achieving difficult goals. You can help boost someone's motivation by offering encouraging words. Especially if it seems that this person may be giving up or feeling uninspired, your words of encouragement can help promote goal achievement. You can saying things like: "You can do it," or "I believe in you." Or, better yet, remind her or him of the progress she/he has already made. One of the most important services you can provide to someone striving for a goal is to provide greater accountability. You can do this by checking in regularly to see if the person is sticking to the plan he/she set. You don't want to nag the person, but you do want to add some extra motivation to complete subgoals on schedule. This can be a difficult balance to strike. It's a good idea to let the person know in advance that you want to help by checking in. If the person says she/he would prefer that you don't, then don't. Likewise, if the person tells you to stop asking about it, don't force the issue. You want to be helpful, but not invasive. You can even ask if there is another way she/he would like you to help, but if not, accept this choice. If the person does want you to help her/him stay on track, make note of the deadlines he/she has set. When a deadline is drawing near, ask how things are going. If the person striving for a goal has setback, falls behind, or fails to reach a sub-goal on schedule, do what you can to help. This might mean helping brainstorm ways around a particular obstacle. It might mean helping remove that obstacle yourself. Or, it might just mean giving a pep-talk to get her or him back on track. For example, imagine someone you know wants to eat healthier. But, the person is having a hard time because he/she doesn't have time to cook at home, and ends up grabbing fast food a lot. You could invite the person over for a healthy home-cooked meal. You could also help strategize about quick, healthy options he or she could turn to instead of heading to the drive-through again. Another great way to help someone stay motivated to is to provide reinforcement for completion of subgoals. Little rewards can help the person develop positive associations with working toward the goal. You can provide positive reinforcement by adding something good to the person's life. For example, you could take the person out for a meal or buy her or him a small gift of some kind after a success. You can also provide negative reinforcement. This means removing something undesired from the person's life. You could reward an achievement by offering to take on some task the person doesn't enjoy. For example, you might mow the persons lawn or wash her/his car as a reward for success. Reinforcement doesn't have to be big to be effective. Something small like a dessert or an offer to take out the garbage can be enough to make a difference. One of the best forms of reinforcement is recognition of one's achievements. When the goal-seeker makes a major accomplishment, celebrate! Let him or her know you recognize the importance of what was achieved, and get other people involved. For example, imagine you know someone trying working to earn a PhD. One of the most difficult steps in the process is often passing qualifying examinations. If you know someone about take these exams, you could plan a party to celebrate after she or he passes. Get the person's friends involved and let her or him know that you are proud of the achievement.

Summary: Promote a positive environment. Offer encouragement. Check in on progress. Address setbacks and challenges. Provide reinforcement. Celebrate achievements.

These will help you as you are making your daily to-do lists. When you have a large number of tasks, it is easy to let things accidentally slip through the cracks. As you make your daily list each day, go over your master list and make sure you include any task with upcoming due dates. If there is no due date for a particular task, decide on a realistic date you'd really like to have it done by. If you aren't setting goals for yourself, the less urgent things may never get done. There is no point in creating a list if you shove it in a drawer and forget about it. Make sure you are constantly seeing it! You may think that you won't forget anything or that you'll stay productive, but physically seeing a list of tasks you need to accomplish can really light the motivational fire within you. Carry it around with you. Post it on your bathroom mirror. Leave a copy in your purse and your car. Just put it somewhere where it will be in your face. It can be a parent, a friend, a significant other, or a co-worker. Just make sure it is someone who will check up on your list and inquire about your progress. You probably won't feel very good if you tell someone you didn't check anything off your to-do list for a whole day! You don't need a babysitter, and no one probably wants to be your babysitter. However, it is incredibly helpful to have someone holding you accountable.
Summary: Write down due dates next to every task on your master list. Put your to-do list somewhere you will see it regularly. Share your list with someone.