Self-efficacy & The Lukens Gene

I'm not trying to impress you with my vocabulary, but I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today that described "self-efficacy". The article was titled "If at First You Don't Succeed, You're in Excellent Company". It detailed all of the famous people you've read about and their corresponding failures followed by magnificent successes.

One particular example was Thomas Edison and his eventual invention of the light bulb. After 1000 failures he finally found the right combination. Later, he described it not as 1000 failures, but merely 1000 steps. I guess that's why people with "self-efficacy" don't quit when others would...they just expect a series of steps to happen before they get the job done.

So, what does Thomas Edison have to do with "Self-efficacy"? As quoted in the WSJ, "What makes some people rebound from defeat while others throw in the towel?" Self-efficacy-the unshakable belief that they have what it takes to succeed...because they believe persistent effort will let them beat the odds". I asked Julie about this term and of course, getting her doctorate in "behavioral science", she instructed me that a guy named Al Bandura came up with this term and it is a major concept in the field of helping people change their behavior...who knew??

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I know of a group of these people and they ALL have the same last name-Lukens. Matter of fact, I married one of them and you've never seen a more determined bunch in your life. They are changing health care, where we will get our oil someday, they have built bridges and dams in places where they couldn't be built, built churches, and include several women who ran companies when it was thought only men could. Whatever the challenge, they have the stuff to do whatever needs to be done. And I warn you, do not try to stop them. They won't let you!

Presidential Campaigning in Indiana?

Lo and behold, after 40 years of being ignored other than the occasional flyby for a fund raiser, there are real(sorry Ralph Nader) presidential candidates running around Indiana telling us how important we are.

Well, they're a little late. The last time the Indiana primary meant anything, I wasn't eligible to vote. Even if I had been, the best candidate at the time was Nixon?! Anyway, I was more worried about passing organic chemistry, avoiding the draft, and getting dumped by a girlfriend. I had my priorities.

Now, I'm more concerned with eating organic, avoiding drafty rooms, and staying regular.

I do have a new priority which is a comfortable retirement which brings me back to the candidates. They can make retirement difficult for a boomer. How? They promise you everything and deliver nothing. I don't believe Hilliary anymore, McCain will eventually do a 180 on his positions, and Obama keeps talking about "change" in Washington. I frankly believe the federal government cannot "change" while it is being controlled by hundreds of special interests.

So, what can I do? Vote. Hopefully, everyone will vote, because I can live with what the majority wants. That's what a democracy is suppose to be all about.

Bad Decisions by .....

Indiana University
*Hiring Mike Davis, Rick Greenspan, Kelvin Sampson, & Adam Herbert
*Firing Bobby too late & retiring Bill Mallory too soon
*Spending $100 million on new athletic facilities when they can't sellout their current venues
*Making me take German and Organic Chemistry

Eric Gordon
*Coming to IU to play basketball
*Leaving college early for the NBA
*Thinking he is ready for "the next level"
*Thinking he was ready for basketball in "The Big Ten"

Hilliary Clinton
*Marrying Bill Clinton (obviously)
*Thinking she would be a good President (obviously)
*Picking Evan Bayh as her running mate (Ha! Ha! Ha!-God, I hope not)

Bart Peterson
*Building Lucas Oil Stadium
*Building a $30 million library for $140 million
*Building a $1 billion airport terminal when the one we have is adequate
*Taking my vote for granted along with 54% of the taxpayers in Marion County

George H.W. Bush
*Thinking Barbara was cute
*Thinking Jeb was good name for a son
*Not giving a full set of chromosomes to George W. Bush

George W. Bush
*Running for Governor of Texas
*Running for President of the United States
*Not taking English as a second language at Yale

But seriously, the only bad decision you can make is not making one.