Article

Things to Know About Raising Your Middle Child

October 29, 2015 by Kenney Myers

In families with more than two children, middle child syndrome is a common occurrence. Characterized by a middle child’s feelings of inadequacy and neglect, this phenomenon can lead to serious problems concerning behavior and psychological health. And while many parents write off middle child syndrome as a non-issue, the fact remains that birth order has been shown to strongly influence an individual’s character and emotional development. Thankfully, this influence doesn’t always have to be negative. Tips like the following, for example, will help parents promote good self-esteem and emotional health in their middle children.

Encourage Your Middle Child’s Uniqueness

All children are different. Instead of making comparisons between a middle child and her siblings, celebrate those differences and encourage your child’s individuality. For example, if an older sibling is a math whiz, never say things like, “If you study harder, you could be great at math, too!” While these types of comments may seem supportive and positive, they may lead to feelings of inadequacy. Instead, praise your middle child for her own accomplishments. Focus on her interests and activities, foster her creativity, and always encourage her to be her absolute best.

Make Special Time for Your Middle Child

Middle children often get lost in the shuffle. A good way to prevent this is by setting aside separate alone time for each of your children. For example, once a month, schedule a date with your middle child. Choose an activity that interests your child and give her your undivided attention. These dates will show your middle child that she’s special and that you genuinely enjoy spending time with her.

Dote on Your Middle Child

In many families, first and last children get most of the attention. For example, new parents take countless photos of their firstborn and spend an inordinate amount of time doting on the baby of the family. This can make the middle child feel excluded, which can lead to major problems down the road. Children who feel left out often resort to behavioral problems as a means of getting the attention they need. However, this can be easily avoided by making sure your middle child gets all the positive attention she deserves. A few great ways to do this include recognizing and celebrating each of her achievements, giving her genuine (not comparative) praise, showing up for all of her extracurricular events, and capturing tons of memories via photo and video.

Give Your Middle Child a Voice

Because middle children can be more quiet and reserved than their siblings, their voices and opinions can go unheard. To avoid leaving your middle child feeling like the odd man out, encourage her to take part in family decisions and activities. When it’s time for a night of family fun, for example, make sure your middle child has a say in decisions such as dinner, games, movies, etc. This will let her know her thoughts and opinions matter and that she’s just as much a part of the family as everyone else.

Stand Up for Your Middle Child

Being the quiet ones in the family, middle children often get overruled by their siblings when it comes to things like toys, bedrooms, activities and more. Many parents chalk this up to their middle child’s desire to avoid conflict; however, constantly taking a backseat isn’t healthy for anyone. To ensure equality among siblings, parents may need to step in and stand up for middle children. When older and younger siblings see that bullying or overpowering middle children will not be tolerated, they often curb these behaviors in favor of getting along. Thankfully, while these types of interventions may not always be pleasant, they are usually advantageous for the family as a whole and not just for the middle child.

Get to Know Your Middle Child

As parents, we often focus on our children’s safety, health and happiness. It happens too often that parents, even those with the very best of intentions, never really get to know their children on a personal level. With middle children, this is even more common. To avoid this, make a real attempt to get to know your middle child. Ask about her hobbies and her friends and the type of music, movies and books she likes. Encourage her to open up about her hopes, dreams and plans for the future. By making an effort to know and understand your middle child, you can forge a closer bond and make her feel special and appreciated.

10 Creative Geniuses Named Ken

October 28, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Creative genius, it often seems, is a gift granted at birth. Those who possess such genius are destined to express the gift, regardless of the career or medium that they pursue in life. For these 10 Kens, creativity comes naturally, and their genius is apparent for the entire world to see.

Dr. Ken Hudson – Australia’s leading consultant on innovation and creativity, Dr. Ken Hudson has a PhD in Organizational Creativity (UWS), MBA (UNE) and B.Bus (UTS). Hudson’s own creative genius allows him to quickly identify innovative potential in business, projects and education. Ken has devoted 15 years to studying and harnessing innovation and creativity.
Kenneth Price – Ceramics isn’t exactly considered the rock ‘n’ roll of the art world, however, Kenneth Price certainly brought the art form some new respect. This creative genius was fascinated by the ceramic pottery often found in the Americas, and in particular, Tijuana. This would become the inspiration for Price’s celebrated work, Happy’s Curios, which took six years to complete before it found its way to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1978 for a dedicated show.
Sir Kenneth Robinson – Not content with a knighthood, Sir Kenneth Robinson is the world’s leading champion of creativity in education. Robinson’s “Ted Talk” on the subject received international attention in 2006, when he suggested that schools stifle children’s creativity, instead teaching them only how to be good workers. Sir Ken’s creativity is evident throughout the talk, which is one of the reasons it was so well received by both educators and students alike.
Ken Howard – This British recipient of an OBE is an artist whose obsession with horizontal and vertical lines brings entirely new dimensions to his art. Howard also served as President of the New English Art Club from 1998 until 2003. His work is heavily influenced by the structures and architectures he grew up around in London. Ken is a traditional painter of models and cityscapes, with a particular focus on the use of light.
Ken Wilber – A philosopher, writer and creator of what he calls “Integral Theory,” a concept that seeks to create a “theory of everything,” Ken Wilber is regarded as one of the most creative thinkers of our time. The theory aims to unite worldwide philosophies in spirituality, the sciences and psychology. Basically, Wilber’s Integral Theory can be applied to any process in existence – and has been in art, medicine, business and many other areas.
Ken Cromar – Ken Cromar adds creativity to everything that he touches. While his main talent lies in his production and directing work, he was also the co-author of the animated feature The Princess and the Pea. Other works that have benefited from Ken’s creative talent include An American Tail, Land Before Time and a number of hugely successful TV infomercials.
Ken Levine – One of the most successful game franchises of the last decade has been the Bioshock series, created by Irrational Games. Ken Levine, who is one of the co-founders of the company, is the creative force behind Bioshock, which is a “Game of the Year” recipient. Levine plans on continuing his success with the franchise, announcing future releases that will expand on the already epic plot-line that the title has developed.
Ken Blanchard – In the fast paced business world, creativity in management is an essential skill. Not everyone possesses the skill, though, so mediocre managers sometimes need a little help. Enter Ken Blanchard, the award winning author of The One Minute Manager, Leading at a Higher Level and Lead Like Jesus. Levine has a keen insight on how to get creative when managing people, which is why his books are top sellers.
Ken Walters – When tragedy strikes, it can often cruelly take so much away from a person. Such was the case for Ken Walters, who was left wheelchair bound after a car accident in 2005. However, from the tragedy, Walters discovered a hidden artistic talent that would lead the former engineer to a new career in digital design. He now owns a software company, and also works with major console game creators, EA Games.
Ken Russell – Once described as “England’s Orson Welles,” Ken Russell is a much loved and remembered director of films. Russell died in November of 2011 after suffering a number of strokes, and the movie industry immediately banded together to celebrate his life in film. Best known for his flamboyance and use of powerful imagery, Ken Russell is regarded by many as one of the most creative and visionary artists in cinematic history.

10 Famous Rock Stars Named Ken

October 27, 2015 by Kenney Myers

The life of a rock star is one that only a select few ever get to experience, and there really is no loftier position when it comes to fame and stardom. They come to the stage late, leave early and the fans still go wild for more. It is often said that rock stars are born, not made. If that’s the case, then it stands to reason that the name chosen for them could have quite the impact on their success later in life. The parents of these 10 rock stars must have predicted the path their sons would take, which would explain why they chose to name them Ken.

Elton John – Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Elton John went on to become a worldwide superstar. His rock classics include “Saturday Night (alright for fighting)”, “Rocket Man” and “Crocodile Rock.” John, however, had his greatest success with the reworking of “Candle in the Wind”, which he dedicated to his good friend Princess Diana upon her death.
Kenny Loggins – Kenny is better known for his soft-rock music. He has performed a duet with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac and collaborated with Michael McDonald. He also earned the title of King of the 1980’s Movie Soundtrack after working on Hollywood blockbusters such as “Footloose”, “Over the Top” and “Top Gun.”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd – This young blues guitarist proved he had real staying power when he earned the record for longest-running album on the Billboard Blues Charts. The album in question was Shepherd’s second solo effort, “Trouble Is.” He is also married to Mel Gibson’s daughter Hannah, and the couple have three children together.
Kenney Jones – Not many rock stars can boast having played with Small Faces, Faces and The Who. However, Kenneth Thomas Jones is a stalwart in the rock music industry. As well as being a full-time member of three of the greatest rock bands in history, Jones has also collaborated with The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry and David Essex, among others.
Ken – This Ken is so rock and roll that he doesn’t even need a surname. Ken is the lead guitarist of Japanese rock band, L’Arc-en-Ciel. His writing style has heavily influenced the bands output since he joined, and he is responsible for hit tracks such as “As if in a Dream”, “Vivid Colors” and “Niji.” In 2010, Ken was approached by Fender and agreed to an endorsement, which helped boost his exposure to a global audience.
Ken Hensley – Keyboard players may get a bad rap, but they provide a valuable element to many of the greatest rock songs. Hensley’s main claim to fame was his stint with the band Uriah Heep in the 70s. He has since worked with a number of bands, including W.A.S.P., and has had a successful solo career, too. Ken has also reunited with former Uriah Heep band member, John Lawton, for a number of one-off performances.
Ken Vandermark – Better known for his jazz performances, Vandermark also dallied with punk and rock when he was part of a band named The Vandermark 5. He is an exceptional saxophone and clarinet player, and was a mainstay in the Chicago jazz scene during the 90s. Vandermark received a $265,000 MacArthur Fellowship in 1999, which gave him the freedom to concentrate on making the music that he loved, sans any financial boundaries.
Kenny Rogers – Everyone knows that Kenny Rogers is a country music star. However, what is often forgotten is that he was once a rock star, too. He sang lead vocals and played bass guitar with a rock band named The First Edition. The band was first formed in 1967 and effectively split in 1975, when Rogers began what would become a successful solo career.
Ken Boothe – One of the most respected names in reggae and ska, Ken Boothe is well known across a number of other genres, too. He reached number one in the U.K. charts with his hit, “”Everything I Own” in 1974. Boothe has released over 25 solo albums in his career – not including compilations – and owes much of his success to his ability to easily cross over from reggae to soft rock without compromising his image.
Kenneth “K.K.” Downing – When it comes to rock, it doesn’t get much heavier than metal pioneers Judas Priest. Kenneth “K.K.” Downing, one of the founding members of the band and a Grammy-winning guitarist, is responsible for the licks that propelled songs like “Hellbent for Leather” and “Living After Midnight” to the top of every metalhead’s list.

How to Encourage Your Son to be a Gentleman

October 26, 2015 by Kenney Myers

Parents of young boys who wish to impart a sense of respect and a set of manners are faced with what can be quite a difficult task in a world that seems to truly believe that chivalry is dead. That’s not to say that the goal is impossible to reach, only that it might be a bit of a lofty one in this day and age. How can parents teach their sons to be little gentlemen when the world seems so eager to undo those teachings? These are a few hints and tips that may prove helpful.

Know that Good Manners Should Extend to Everyone

For some parents, the idea of instilling gentlemanly qualities in a little boy means that he’s eager to open doors for the little girls he meets and to treat them with a deference he wouldn’t show to his male peers. In fact, a true gentleman treats everyone with respect, regardless of gender. Rather than focusing on teaching your son how to behave gallantly in the presence of young women, explain to him that it’s important to be polite and respectful to everyone he meets.

Keep Your Expectations on a Realistic Level

While you may be charmed by the idea of a preschooler that has impeccable manners and behaves like a miniature adult, that’s simply not realistic. Your son can still be a budding gentleman without giving up his childlike qualities. A kindergartener may not know the ins and outs of fine dining etiquette, but he’s still doing a respectable job if he’s adept at sharing his toys and taking turns.

Realize That Compassion is the Key to Good Manners

When your child has compassion and empathy for others, he learns to respect them and to treat them accordingly. Instead of focusing on the minutiae of table manners at a young age, work towards instilling a sense of compassion and encouraging empathetic behavior. Understanding that how another person feels is affected by the way that he treats them is an essential lesson in the bigger picture that is gentlemanly behavior. Helping your son understand that he should always treat people the way he would like to be treated himself can make it easier for him to understand more complicated social interactions.

Model Polite Behavior

Few things have the lasting impact on your growing child as the way that he sees you behave. Children are learning to navigate the world of social interaction a bit more with every passing day, and it can seem very confusing to them. When your son doesn’t quite know how to react, he will look to you for cues or mimic behavior that he’s observed in you. As a result, one of the most powerful weapons in a parent’s arsenal when it comes to instilling a sense of courtesy and gentlemanly behavior is to model politeness in social interactions. Even when you don’t think your child is watching, he’s probably soaking up the way you act and processing it later through mimicry.

Remember That Practice Makes Perfect

Just like any other new skills, lessons in gentlemanly behavior tend to stick more when they’re regularly exercised. Teaching your son to be conscientious and polite isn’t accomplished in a single situation, but is a long-term work in progress. Encourage your son to behave politely at home, even if there’s no one around aside from immediate family. At an early age, your child probably spends more time at home than he does anywhere else, so it’s wise to make sure that lessons on etiquette and good behavior are consistently reiterated.

Get Your Caregivers in On the Action

If your child spends time with a childcare provider, it’s smart to let them know what you’re trying to accomplish, and the steps you’re taking to impart those lessons. When your efforts are reinforced by the babysitter, nanny or daycare staff, they’re more likely to be retained.

While you may want to raise your son to be the most considerate and polite young man on the block, it’s important that you keep the fact that he is just a child in mind. There will be a number of slips and missteps along the way, and browbeating your child into exhibiting perfect manners could backfire if he begins to feel resentful of your angry tone. Calmly and patiently discussing the importance of being polite while maintaining a realistic level of expectation is essential, especially when your son is still very young.

10 Reasons Why My Employees Will Use Cyber Dust

October 23, 2015 by Kenney Myers

I have been using Cyber Dust for about a month now and have had the opportunity to talk to several great people from NASCAR drivers & pro athletes to private equity fund managers. There is a diverse crowd there that is really engaged and willing to have a conversation with you. The more I used it, the more I really liked it. It simply feels more like a regular conversation to me than any other form of electronic communication. Recently, I made the decision to get all of my partners and employees to use Cyber Dust and here are some of the reasons why I made the move:

How many memos really need to be saved? Think about how much clutter you have in your email system because despite your best efforts to get employees to clear their inboxes they still just let messages pile up. With Cyber Dust you can remind your employees of things like holiday office hours or cleaning the fridge in the lunch room by the end of the day, etc. Believe me, even though the message disappears they will get it and seriously do those really need to be saved forever?
That funny joke that you know someone is dying to forward that is likely to get broadcast out in short order will never get the chance to go viral with Cyber Dust. Sometimes they are inappropriate, often only to one person. However, they almost never are intended for all eyes in the office. What was that joke again? I guess you will never know now.
On a more serious side, Cyber Dust encourages more concise communications. Sometimes lots of words are needed, but more often than not less is more. Since messages disappear quickly it allows for communications that are more conversational that most likely will result in more production at work and less time typing unnecessarily long emails (plus reading and responding to them).
If a legal situation comes up (and it happens to all businesses), email servers, chat logs, and other forms of communication are discoverable. In general, that may support or hurt your case depending upon the situation. However, despite even your best efforts it’s often not helpful and it certainly is a pain to have to pull from your servers. More communications on Cyber Dust will reduce that workload on your IT team and your overall risk as a business.
With blast lists in Cyber Dust you can easily create a message distribution list for your team that will make it easy to get the word out quickly just like you currently do with email. This is an easy way to let the team know about wins that you have gotten whether that is a new contract, a big sales day etc. It’s great to keep them in the know, but not the type of communication that needs to be kept forever.
Inevitably some employees will resist and tell you that they simply can’t conduct their business via Cyber Dust. Well, keep in mind that your customer’s information and all your business transactions are kept in your system of record whether that is a CMS or other software you run your business by. That is where those details belong not buried in long email conversations or instant messenger chats anyway.
Some employees do have problems with memory and that can be an issue with Cyber Dust messages that disappear. If you find yourself in that situation you can always repeat a blast to your team’s blast list (and honestly probably should anyway). With that said, it can be a really good way to identify employees that you need to communicate with differently to keep everyone on the same page. You may have that situation now with in-person conversations and never know it.
Negotiations are often a chain of communications and discussions most of which do not need to be on record and frankly are better left off the record. Obviously you will still have a contract that will govern any business relationships you enter into but with Cyber Dust you can carry on more conversations without having to pick up the phone and/or worry about confidential negotiations leaking.
Confidentiality is by definition a very sensitive topic and one that is generally not kept as often as you might think. You know that email signature that says the email you just received is for your eyes only? How many times have you forwarded that (be honest)? With Cyber Dust if a communication is truly confidential then you have a much better chance of it staying between you and the receiver.
Now one of my pet peeves, the ridiculous reply all emails. If you want to ask your team a question in general it is not necessary for everyone to reply to everyone else yet for some strange reason they are compelled to do so. With Cyber Dust that is a thing of the past. You can ask the whole team a question, blast it to your team list, and get individual responses as you intended.

I’m sure there are several more reasons why Cyber Dust is a good idea to incorporate into my businesses but those are the first that come to mind. I think it’s a really great tool for internal and external business communications that if you haven’t explored, you really should consider it. If you want to get more information you can go to http://www.cyberdust.com or just download it directly on your mobile device. If you end up jumping on Cyber Dust send me a dust at +kenneymyers and let me know what you think.

10 Reasons Why Fans Remain Loyal to Their Team

October 22, 2015 by Kenney Myers

There are few kinds of loyalty as fierce or as unwavering as that of a professional sports fan to their favorite team. Whether it’s football, basketball, baseball or hockey, pro sports teams in America enjoy their own particular brand of hero worship. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why these fans remain so loyal, year after year, these ten points might clear up a bit of the mystery for you.

Geography – Even if they’re on a ten-season losing streak, there’s nothing like a hometown pro team to build loyalty. Professional athletes who play for particular team aren’t just wearing the right colors on game day; they’re part of the community. Individual players and even coaching staff may come and go, but local teams will always hold a special place in sports fans’ hearts.
Brain Chemistry – Dopamine is the “feel good” chemical produced by the reward system of your brain, and its presence isn’t tied exclusively to a win. Psychology professors at Tufts learned that dopamine production in rats was higher even in defeat than after a win. At the end of a game, even if your team loses, you still get a boost in brain chemicals.
Tribe Mentality – The way fans identify with their favorite team, players and even fellow fans is similar to the way they identify with their ethnicity, nationality and even their gender. At a very basic psychological level, being a fan of a particular team means being part of a tribe. Over years of conditioning, fans find much of their own identities tied up in being part of this particular tribe.
Social Connectivity – People feel a need to belong, to be part of a whole which is larger than themselves. This can be one of the driving factors behind fandom and team loyalty, especially if they’re socially connected to others who share their enthusiasm. Seeing a stranger wearing the logo of your favorite team creates and instantaneous connection, and allows you to feel like part of a much larger network.
Nostalgia – Children gain the mental capacity to choose a favorite team of their own between seven and nine years of age, but it’s not uncommon for team fandom to be multi-generational. If some of your fondest memories of your parents, for instance, are times spent watching a particular team play, the sense of nostalgia can be a driving factor in fan loyalty decades later.
There’s Always Next Year – Few ventures allow you to walk away from abject failure with the comfort of knowing there’s a clean slate and a brand new chance just around the corner. Even though the statistical probability of your favorite team winning big is slim, you know they have the opportunity to do so next year. As a motivating factor, hope is one of the more powerful for sports fans.
Your Team is An Extension of Yourself – For many dedicated fans, a favorite sports team serves as an extension of self. This means, for die-hard followers of a specific team, a win feels much like a personal success. Because of this perception of the team as extension of self, long-term loyalty becomes part of the package.
Loyalty is Expected – One of the worst insults one fan can hurl at another is the accusation of being a “bandwagon fan.” This holds especially true when the team in question is on a long win streak or has been performing exceptionally well for a long period of time. Loyalty through losses, poor performance and difficult times is expected and conditioned.
Superstition – One of the strangest yet most widespread aspects of sports fan loyalty is the tendency for normally rational and practical people to become superstitious regarding wins and losses. Every sports fan knows at least one person who only wears a certain pair of socks on game day, won’t eat certain foods or has some other bizarre ritual they’re convinced is integral to success or instrumental in failure for their team. By holding to these rituals with an almost religious fervor, fandom and loyalty become even more deeply entrenched.
Retaining a Sense of Identity – The role of geography in establishing fan loyalty is documented, but what about local sports fans who move to another city? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that most fans will continue to root for their hometown team, rather than switching to the colors of their new city’s mascots. The reason? Researchers theorized that fans retain these connections in an attempt to also retain their sense of identity after making such a lifestyle change.

The good news for sports fanatics is that there’s also a documented connection between loyalty in a general sense and personal well-being. Staying with the same partner, working for the same employer and fostering other long-term emotional relationships is also associated with greater levels of happiness, a more intense sense of life satisfaction and even better physical health. Cheer on, sports fans!