Ashley Ward

Books Can Give You Inspiration, Not Motivation – And Why the Difference Matters

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If I were to read a quote, book, or attend a seminar in hopes to get motivation, I would be fooling myself. Inspiration, maybe. Motivation, no. There’s a difference between the two and it does matter.

So let’s see how books can give you inspiration, not motivation – and why the difference matters. I used to use those words interchangeably until I noticed a distinct difference. The most noteworthy differences are these:

Motivation is a purpose. Motivation requires actions

About a decade ago, I bought a train ticket and had $2.12 in my wallet. I had almost nothing, but I traveled 900 miles to ‘go see about a guy.’ It was more than that, though. I wanted a new start to my life and I didn’t want to wait one more minute. That is motivation. It has a clear motive fueling the actions to support that motive.

If you do need help getting motivated, here’s something better than a book…

  • Mentors — they care, they push you in the right direction, they remind you of your motives in case you forget, they teach, but they also let go because they believe in you.
  • Peers — people who are working towards similar goals, empathize with your motives and want you to succeed, and have your back. I met my peers during evening GED® classes. Well, evening classes didn’t work at all for me, so took the Onsego GED prep course and now, I’m the holder of a GED diploma who’s so proud of her achievement as she passed with college-ready scores!

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Wanted: American Innovation, Resolve, & Persistence

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The United States faces innumerable challenges. Policy experts could write entire treatises on all of these, but clear solutions may get lost in complicated or trivial details. As the Pareto principle reminds us, 80% of our results can be achieved by focusing 20% of our efforts on the most important activities.

So, what if we concentrated our labors on two pivotal problems that American resolve, innovation, and persistence can, and must, successfully tackle – transportation and energy.

Let’s start with transportation. The US transportation system of highways, bridges, tunnels, and railroads is stressed, strained, and badly in need of repairs and upgrades. 7 of the 10 most congested cities are on the East Coast and West Coast.

In fact, if you travel along the I-5 or I-95 corridors, you probably think that the 3 million large trucks in the US are directly in front of you. You may wonder why we don’t repair and expand the transportation system.

There are many reasons but consider the biggest, money. At least $2.6 trillion is necessary to bring our transportation and infrastructure system up to our expectations for efficiency and safety. Then, along the coast, such as the I-95 corridor on the East Coast, there is precious little land available for expansion and the rest is environmentally sensitive.

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Onsego Review- College Ready Scores!

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This past spring, I took the GED course provided by Onsego. The content of the Onsego course is well-structured and includes many online video lessons, practice tests, and quizzes about the covered subject topics. I read a review of this GED program on mycareertools.com, and I really wanted to try it. So, I took the … Read more

Culinary Arts Schools in Washington State

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Your high school diploma or GED makes you eligible for a college education and many students dream about a career as a chef. Let’s take a closer look at some culinary education institutions in Washington State.

Are you thinking to enroll in a culinary arts school in Washington and explore the world of becoming a chef or a baker? There are great culinary arts schools in Washington and these fine culinary arts schools can make your dreams come true.

If you are in Washington State right now, are very interested in culinary arts, and want to become a world-class chef someday, then you are in the right place because Washington State is a hotbed for culinary schooling.

Start your culinary career now and choose and find the right culinary arts school in Washington for your culinary arts education and training. Usually, holding a secondary education degree is required for admission, but if you don’t hold a high school degree, you can always sign up for a good online GED prep course and earn your high school equivalency diploma.

The culinary arts schools in Washington educate and train their students on the principles of how to cook and prepare great food. Culinary arts schools in Washington also help students to become very successful in their quest to becoming a chef or baker in the future.

Vocational training schools, technical trade schools, community colleges, and universities in Washington offer comprehensive culinary arts degrees, courses, classes, culinary arts training programs, and culinary arts certifications. Culinary arts schools in Washington also provide excellent education and training that includes lectures, classroom training, classroom demos, field trips, externships, and hands-on training.

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