Leon Edwards will head into his main event battle with Tyron Woodley at UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London with a ton of motivation and a lot to gain, according to UFC analyst and former welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy.

Hardy talked to MMA Junkie backstage at the official weigh-ins for UFC 246 in Las Vegas earlier this month and gave his quick-fire take on the main event matchup set for March 21 at The O2. He said he thinks the time is perfect for Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) to step up and show the world just how good he is against former welterweight champion Woodley (19-4-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) in a five-round main event on home soil.

Hardy said the winner will deserve a title shot in his next matchup.

Absolutely I dont see how not, especially if its Leon, because hes been poised for this opportunity for a long time, Hardy said.

Edwards is riding an eight-fight winning streak. His most recent three outings saw him claim decision victories over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Woodley will be making his first in-cage appearance since he lost the welterweight title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235 in March 2019.

The pair have been going back and forth on social media, with Edwards appearing to get under Woodleys skin when he mocked the former champs rapping skills. Hardy said the niggling exchanges on social media only serve to add another layer of interest to an already intriguing matchup.

I think the timings right because at this point, theyre both annoyed theres needle between the two of them, he said. So I just think its going to add a bit of spice and a bit of flavor to the fight. I think its going to allow Leon to come out of his shell a little bit more and for the fans to see the kind of person and the kind of fighter he really is. Hes not reached his potential yet, and I think this could be the fight that would help him to do that.

Woodleys mission is clear: Head into enemy territory, snap Edwards winning streak and catapult himself right back into title contention. He also has a history of halting the charge of surging Brits, Hardy said.

Tyron Woodleys a very dangerous fighter, Hardy said. Hes got that piston of a right hand. Hes got a hell of a wrestling game. We saw him run through Darren Till.

That result may serve as a warning to Edwards, but Hardy also said the Birmingham man may view it as additional motivation. Both Till and Edwards were battling for top billing when the UFC came to London in March 2019. In the end, it was Till who landed the headline slot against Jorge Masvidal, while Edwards had to content himself with a co-main event bout against Icelandic grappler Nelson.

Edwards achieved the better result of the two Brits that night, and Hardy said the opportunity for Rocky to succeed where Till failed against Woodley may serve as additional motivation ahead of the UFCs return to England.

I think theres an advantage for Leon to get this win over Tyron because Darren Till didnt because theres been that animosity between him and Till before, he said. I just think theres a lot to be gained for this for Leon, and I think thats a motivating factor for him. Leon motivated is dangerous, and Im excited for him.

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Dan Hardy: Leon Edwards motivated and dangerous ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 29 main event - MMA Junkie

By Adrian Bardon4 minute Read

Something is rotten in the state of American political life. The U.S. (among other nations) is increasingly characterized by highly polarized, informationally insulated ideological communities occupying their own factual universes.

Within the conservative political blogosphere, global warming is either a hoax or so uncertain as to be unworthy of response. Within other geographic or online communities, vaccines, fluoridated water, and genetically modified foods are known to be dangerous. Right-wing media outlets paint a detailed picture of how Donald Trump is the victim of a fabricated conspiracy.

None of that is correct, though. The reality of human-caused global warming is settled science. The alleged link between vaccines and autism has been debunked as conclusively as anything in the history of epidemiology. Its easy to find authoritative refutations of Donald Trumps self-exculpatory claims regarding Ukraine and many other issues.

Yet many well-educated people sincerely deny evidence-based conclusions on these matters.

In theory, resolving factual disputes should be relatively easy: Just present evidence of a strong expert consensus. This approach succeeds most of the time, when the issue is, say, the atomic weight of hydrogen.

But things dont work that way when the scientific consensus presents a picture that threatens someones ideological worldview. In practice, it turns out that ones political, religious, or ethnic identity quite effectively predicts ones willingness to accept expertise on any given politicized issue.

Motivated reasoning is what social scientists call the process of deciding what evidence to accept based on the conclusion one prefers. As I explain in my book, The Truth About Denial, this very human tendency applies to all kinds of facts about the physical world, economic history, and current events.

The interdisciplinary study of this phenomenon has exploded over just the last six or seven years. One thing has become clear: The failure of various groups to acknowledge the truth about, say, climate change, is not explained by a lack of information about the scientific consensus on the subject.

Instead, what strongly predicts denial of expertise on many controversial topics is simply ones political persuasion.

A 2015 metastudy showed that ideological polarization over the reality of climate change actually increases with respondents knowledge of politics, science, and/or energy policy. The chances that a conservative is a climate-change denier is significantly higher if he or she is college-educated. Conservatives scoring highest on tests for cognitive sophistication or quantitative reasoning skills are most susceptible to motivated reasoning about climate science.

This is not just a problem for conservatives. As researcher Dan Kahan has demonstrated, liberals are less likely to accept expert consensus on the possibility of safe storage of nuclear waste, or on the effects of concealed-carry gun laws.

Our ancestors evolved in small groups, where cooperation and persuasion had at least as much to do with reproductive success as holding accurate factual beliefs about the world. Assimilation into ones tribe required assimilation into the groups ideological belief system. An instinctive bias in favor of ones in-group and its worldview is deeply ingrained in human psychology.

A human beings very sense of self is intimately tied up with his or her identity groups status and beliefs. Unsurprisingly, then, people respond automatically and defensively to information that threatens their ideological worldview. We respond with rationalization and selective assessment of evidencethat is, we engage in confirmation bias, giving credit to expert testimony we like and finding reasons to reject the rest.

Political scientists Charles Taber and Milton Lodge experimentally confirmed the existence of this automatic response. They found that partisan subjects, when presented with photos of politicians, produce an affective like/dislike response that precedes any sort of conscious, factual assessment as to who is pictured.

In ideologically charged situations, ones prejudices end up affecting ones factual beliefs. Insofar as you define yourself in terms of your cultural affiliations, information that threatens your belief systemsay, information about the negative effects of industrial production on the environmentcan threaten your sense of identity itself. If its part of your ideological communitys worldview that unnatural things are unhealthful, factual information about a scientific consensus on vaccine or GM food safety feels like a personal attack.

Unwelcome information can also threaten in other ways. System justification theorists such as psychologist John Jost have shown how situations that represent a threat to established systems trigger inflexible thinking and a desire for closure. For example, as Jost and colleagues extensively review, populations experiencing economic distress or external threat have often turned to authoritarian, hierarchicalist leaders promising security and stability.

This kind of affect-laden, motivated thinking explains a wide range of examples of an extreme, evidence-resistant rejection of historical fact and scientific consensus.

Have tax cuts been shown to pay for themselves in terms of economic growth? Do communities with high numbers of immigrants have higher rates of violent crime? Did Russia interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election? Predictably, expert opinion regarding such matters is treated by partisan media as though evidence is itself inherently partisan.

Denialist phenomena are many and varied, but the story behind them is, ultimately, quite simple. Human cognition is inseparable from the unconscious emotional responses that go with it. Under the right conditions, universal human traits such as in-group favoritism, existential anxiety, and a desire for stability and control combine into a toxic, system-justifying identity politics.

When group interests, creeds, or dogmas are threatened by unwelcome factual information, biased thinking becomes denial. And unfortunately these facts about human nature can be manipulated for political ends.

This picture is a bit grim, because it suggests that facts alone have limited power to resolve politicized issues such as climate change or immigration policy. But properly understanding the phenomenon of denial is surely a crucial first step to addressing it.

Adrian Bardon is a professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University.This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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"Motivated reasoning": Why people believe conspiracy theories - Fast Company

BURLEY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) Teacher Jed Thomas has been at Burley High School for 5 years, but just started giving motivational speeches this school year.

The principals came and asked the teachers if they wanted to, if we wanted to get school pride back into Burley, Thomas stated.

He now gives the speeches every Monday and Friday morning, but explained the topics vary.

It depends on what I see at school for the week, something might strike me, like oh we need to talk about that because what's going on is either good or bad and we need to address it and point out good things, and also point out the things that we can all work on I think, Thomas explained.

Thomas wasn't sure at first.

At first I really questioned it. I'm like man I don't know why I'm doing this. I didn't know if I was reaching the kids. Until I saw the post on Facebook, Thomas explained.

The post included two videos of Thomas passionately giving speeches, both of which have been viewed more than 30,000 times.

And then I'm like oh, they are actually paying attention. They're quiet. They're listening. And if it touches and helps one person in any way, then it did it's job, Thomas said.

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Burley High School teacher giving motivational speeches twice a week. - KMVT

Read all about this troubling social trendor dont. What do I care?

A lot has been said about the quality of service in Japan, from companies polite and helpful staff to their remorse over even the slightest misstepso Im not going to bother saying any of it again.

You see, beneath all this is a troubling development in the spirit and mentality of the workforce in Japan. Its a problem that has recently been brought to light by the Japan Business Federation in which the average worker in Japan simply isnt engaged in their work.

An engaged worker

Fittingly, the Japan Business Federation couldnt be bothered to conduct a survey themselves, so instead they referred to a 2017 Gallup poll which measured work engagement in 139 countries. The motivation of company employees were rated as engaged, not engaged, and actively disengaged.

The USA and Canada came out on top with about 29 percent of workers engaged in their jobs. That might not sound like a lot, but its over twice the global average of 13 percent. Japan, meanwhile, is roughly half of the average with only six percent claiming to be engaged.

A not engaged worker

On the other hand, a whopping 71 percent are said to be not engaged and a further 23 percent actively disengaged. In terms of engagement, Japan was ranked 132nd, ahead of only Iraq (6%), Tunisia (5%), Israel (5%), Azerbaijan (5%), Hong Kong (4%), Croatia (3%), and Syria (0%).

So, what does this mean? The Japan Business Federation cited the Parento principle which states that 80 percent of effects come from 20 percent of causes. Applying that to these results, a country should hope to have about 20 percent of its workforce engaged in order to get a realistically optimal output.

In this way, countries like the US could be seen as over-performing, whereas Japan is woefully shorthanded. Conversely, Japans actively disengaged population fits the Parento principle better, making it a driving force of inefficiency across the country.

An actively disengaged worker

All that explaining was way more work than I was planning to do today, so lets hear what some random people in Japan have to say about it all.

Most people just work to avoid starving, so theyll do just enough not to get fired. If companies would offer stability and the ability to retire, it would be very different. Its stupid. Even if you work hard and raise your salary, youll just get laid off when youre too old to get another meaningful job. If I dont work, I dont eat Being motivated isnt all that great. I think some people are too motivated and dangerous. The companies just keep stockpiling the money without increasing wages. It goes beyond work, people arent even motivated enough to start a family any more. Its too expensive.

This demotivational trend certainly isnt surprising anyone here. The cracks have been showing for a while now, from cops leaving their guns lying around in record numbers to convenience store franchisees rebelling against corporate owners for not sharing enough in profits.

I would suggest some solutions to all this, but screw it. I dont get paid enough for that kind of crap and I got my own problems. Its also time for my two oclock toilet nap, so smell yall later.

Source: Asagei Biz, Gallup, Hachima Kiko Photos SoraNews24 Want to hear about SoraNews24s latest articles as soon as theyre published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Survey finds only six percent of Japanese workers motivated, seventh lowest in the world - SoraNews24

Shane, Ajay and Hasan of Mirage band. Image Credit: Supplied

Mirage The Band, regarded as one of Pakistans best live acts, recently dropped a motivational song, Barhe Chalo, from their second album, Doosri Dastak.

The track is composed in the bands signature pop-rock genre. Barhe Chalo is the fifth track from the album; they earlier released Befikr, Panchhi, which featured Alicia Dias; Pyar Hua, and Zara Suniye Tou, featuring Natasha Khan.

Barhe Chalo, which translates as keep going, highlights the importance of change that can only come from within. The song has lyrics by both Saad Hayat (who also features on keyboard) and Rehan Nazim (vocals).

The video of the song, which is co-directed by Hayat and Asghar Ali Ghanchi, who is also its DoP, has an interesting back story. In the words of Hayat: We shot the video a few years ago but unfortunately lost the footage. Last month, we shot six videos of our live sessions in the studio. We experimented with different styles this time These are performance-based videos, with different set-ups and looks, since each song has a different direction of sound and feel. We wanted to keep these simple and effective.

Mirage was formed by Hayat, Nazim, and Hasan Mahmoud in 2003. The band has been consistently active on the local music scene. Its current live line-up features Mohsin Raza Shah on guitars, Shane Kerr on bass and Ajay Harri on drums.

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Mirage The Band drop motivational song 'Barhe Chalo' - Gulf News

If you have been feeling down lately, the key to getting out of the slump may be health related. According to the Harvard Medical School, one in 10 adults in the United States struggle with depression. Research shows that exercise is an effective way to treat the condition and can even work as well or better than antidepressants.

Common symptoms of depression include reduced energy, appetite changes and increased pain perception.

So, how do you find the motivation to get into a new routine and change your mental mindset? Experts at Harvard suggest starting slowly to get your body used to being active before increasing your level of physical activity.

Here is some motivation to get started and keep the momentum going.There is a happier version of you waiting to get active.

How does exercise improve moods?

Physical activity is an important contributor to positive mental health. The JED Foundation, an emotional health nonprofit for teens and young adults, offers these benefits of becoming active.

Improves mood and mental health by releasing endorphins through your body to reduce anxiety and depressed moods while enhancing self-esteem.

Boosts energy and brainpower by delivering oxygen and nutrients to the brain and various tissues.

Link:
Find motivation for better health - STLtoday.com

How do you find your work mojo now that your holiday halo has started to dim?

January is the most popular month to give your job the flick (and to file for divorce apparently - but this is outside the scope of our show!). We talk motivation with sports and organisational psychologist Dr Travis Kemp and Chris Low, head of vibe at Canva which has twice been named Australia's best place to work.

We discuss why things come to a head in January - just what's going on in our brains? Plus why personal values trump free beer, why money isn't our primary motivator, and how eating breakfast and lunch together helped online graphic design business Canva become a unicorn company (a privately-owned start up worth more than a US one billion dollars).

Chris also refers to the importance of psychological safety in the workplace. To hear more about this, listen to our previous show on this topic:

After ramp up your motivation, you might want to tackle one of the toughest challenges in the workplace and have that difficult conversation. Karen Gately from Corporate Dojo gives us her very practical and imminently doable take.

Producer: Maria Tickle

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Workplace motivation isn't just about pizzas and beer (although that helps) - ABC News

To have some of the mostrespected musicO.G.sincluding Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and David Fosterin your corneris no small feat, especially in today's highly saturated, internet-led space. Soulful songstress Shela has all this and morein 2012 she performed for the at the White House for Barack and Michelle Obama, for examplebut she values celebrating her heroes and inspiring the next generation above personal accolades and achievements.

At the first of the educational events during the GRAMMY Museum's special GRAMMY Week programming, the singer/songwriter/keyboardist treated students to a powerhouse performance, an informative interview by the Museum'sSenior Education CoordinatorSchyler O'Nealand thoughtful answers to the students' questions.

Read: 11 Things We Learned About Larkin Poe At The GRAMMY Museum

To start things off, Shela sang two songs"Summertime," the 1930's jazz number first popularized by Billie Holiday, and Bill Withers'1971 GRAMMY-winning classic, "Ain't No Sunshine." During the latter song, she encouraged kids to snap in time with her, and they all did; a few even kept the rhythm going when others took a break to soak in her powerhouse high notes.

"You're the future, so it's an honor to spend time with you," she said to the smiling group of students, consisting of high schoolers from four local Los Angelesschools.

When O'Neal asked how she got to where she is today, the "City of Angels" singer said, "I've been true to myself this whole journey," which required a lot of faith, honesty and heart. She also talked about working with and becoming friends with Wonder in recent years, who she's been a fan of since she was very young.

She collaborated with the 25-time GRAMMY-winning legend on "Love Fell On Me," the title track to her 2013 debut album, and "Pretty World," the first song off of her 2019 tribute album to GRAMMY-winning songwriter power couple Alan and Marilyn Bergman. She also shared that she has another song with Wonder on the way via his forthcoming project.

When the questions were opened up to the audience, the kids followed up with some great questions. One of the most moving ones came from Oscar, a senior who bravely shared he's struggled with anxiety and self-doubt for much of his life. He wanted to know if Shela had any advice that could help him overcome these difficult emotions that he knew were holding him back. She reminded him, and everyone in the audience, to remember "You're not alone," as many other peopleincluding successful, creative peoplealso face these feelings.

Related: Christina Bell On "Going" & Playing Twinkie Clark In The 'The Clark Sisters' Biopic

Shela also highlighted the importance of having the people closest to youlift you up and hold you accountable to your goals in a compassionate way. Even if it's just one person, she stressed, having someone "that will do it in love, in a way that will resonate with you" is a great way to stay motivated and grounded. Underscoring that it can take time to find these people in your life,Shela pointed out thatit's equally important to champion yourself, citing how affirmations have helped her. "Affirmations set to music are song formation," Shela noted before reciting some with the group. Hearing "I am enough" echo through ourselves and the theater was a powerful moment for everyone there.

Explore 'Beyond Black: The Style of Amy Winehouse' Kicks Off At The GRAMMY Museum

The final student question came from a girl who wanted to know what the biggest moments in Shela's job were, to which she replied,"This is why I do what I do, to give to the next generationYou're going to go above and beyond what I'm doing. That's real, the realest thing."

Another very brave student, Isaiah, volunteered to take the stage for a special mini-vocal coaching lesson with Shela. He chose to sing Alicia Keys' GRAMMY-winning bop "If I Ain't Got You" and with some guidance and encouragement, was able to drop into his body, move past some of his nervousness and hit a higher register.

Finally, the "Because Of You" singer wrapped up the event with a songBob Dylan's oft-covered 1997 track "Make You Feel My Love"before taking a group photo and selfies with the smiling students.

The GRAMMY Museum's jam-packed GRAMMY Week programming continues with more student-centered educational programs, like Music Of Hawaii and Careers In The Music Industry, as well as all-ages events with The Cranberries and Linda Perry. Visit the Museum's programming page for more info on what you can attend.

And stay tuned toGRAMMY.com, where you'll getmore behind-the-scenes looks at 2020 GRAMMY Week events, including the 62nd GRAMMY Awards, airing live on Sunday, Jan. 26 on CBS.

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Shela Serves GRAMMY Week Motivation: "This Is Why I Do What I Do, To Give To The Next Generation" - Recording Academy | Grammys

The last time the Toronto Raptors visited the AT&T Center, bedlam ensued.

A sold-out crowd, thirsty for blood that was hopefully only metaphorical, booed lustily from the opening tap. Fans taunted and jeered, and at the end of a 125-107 Spurs victory on Jan. 2, 2019, that stood as the most satisfying of last season, they erupted in raucous, sneering applause.

DeMar DeRozan, a Raptors castoff who recorded what remains the only triple-double of his All-Star career that night, remembers the occasion well.

It was extremely fun, DeRozan said.

Of course, most of the juice that night was supplied by the return of Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard, who the summer before had spurned the Spurs and orchestrated a trade that landed him north of the border.

As the Raptors return to San Antonio on Sunday afternoon, Leonard will be 1,300 miles away in Los Angeles, preparing to lead his newest new team, the Clippers, in a game against Orlando.

Facing the defending NBA champion Raptors sans last seasons Finals MVP, the Spurs will be left to manufacture their own motivation.

That often has been easier said than done this season for a Spurs team that cant seem to piece together a winning streak longer than three games.

Weve just got to be consistent, guard Derrick White said. Thats been the moral of the story all year. Just consistency and being ready to play whoever is out there in front of us.

The past three weeks have been an exercise in head-scratching for a Spurs squad that has shown both the ability to beat some of the best teams in the league and lose to some of the worst.

In that span, the Spurs have beaten each of the top four clubs in the Eastern Conference, including a 105-104 victory in Toronto that involved a comeback from 18 points down.

They also have dropped narrow decisions at home to Atlanta and Phoenix, teams that would be lottery-bound if the postseason began today.

Victories over the leagues upper crust have allowed the Spurs to remain firmly in the mix for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Losses to the leagues dregs have kept them from running away with it.

I think we are learning stuff every game, guard Patty Mills said. No matter if we win or lose, there is stuff we are finding out about ourselves as a group. We talk about putting it in the bank, and at some point it will pay off in the long run.

Against the Suns, the Spurs lost 103-99 mostly because they couldnt find a way to make the ball go in the basket.

The Spurs finished 5 of 25 from the 3-point line, including 1 of 7 in the fourth quarter.

It was a far cry from the 17 of 31 the Spurs buried Monday night in Phoenix on the way to a 120-118 victory.

The Spurs 3-point clang-a-thon against Phoenix represented their worst shooting night from distance since a Nov. 27 loss at Minnesota, when they converted only 17 percent.

All told, it resulted in the end of a three-game winning streak, one victory shy of a season high.

If we hit those 3s, its a different story, White said.

In the meantime, the Spurs aim to control what is controllable.

Coach Gregg Popovich continues to cajole his team into approaching each game with the same focus. Appropriate fear, he calls it.

Weve never concentrated on one game, Popovich said. Its always about getting better, executing and competing for more of the 48 minutes than your opponent. Thats your goal every single night. It doesnt matter who you are playing.

It might not hurt the Spurs attention span that the Raptors even with Leonard plying his All-Star trade in sunny California remain a good team.

Second-year coach Nick Nurse has kept Toronto in the thick of the Eastern Conference race, tied for second with Miami at 31-14.

The Raptors enter today on a six-game winning streak, which roughly coincides with All-Star forward Pascal Siakams return from the injured list. Toronto hasnt lost since Jan. 12, when the Spurs absconded from Canada with a one-point triumph.

Were just ... comfortable in every situation, Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry said. We understand what to do, and weve been here before.

The Spurs are expecting Torontos best shot, much as they took Phoenixs best shot Friday.

Four days after the Spurs squeaked out a two-point win on the Suns home floor, Phoenix held on for a four-point revenge triumph at the AT&T Center.

The Suns were clearly motivated, DeRozan said.

Small things like that you dont forget as a team, and you try to come out (the next time) and you want to get a victory, said DeRozan, who scored 30 points in the loss. Thats the league. Any given night, especially when you are fresh off playing a team, they are going to be ready.

The Raptors, like the Suns, owe the Spurs one.

Two weeks ago at Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter and 82-69 headed to the fourth.

A 19-5 run to start the fourth quarter led mostly be DeRozan, who finished with 25 points in his second return to Toronto helped lift the Spurs to an improbable victory.

At the time, it seemed as if that would be the latest stirring outing that would at last allow the Spurs to turn a season-long corner.

Two nights later, they dropped a 106-100 decision at Miami. Two nights after that, the basement-dwelling Hawks stole a 121-120 win at the AT&T Center.

For the searching Spurs, todays game against Toronto could be a jumping-off point. Again.

We just played them, and they are going to try to come in and beat us on our home floor, DeRozan said. All these games are important now. Weve got to be ready to go from the jump.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Jeff McDonald began covering the Spurs for the San Antonio Express-News in September 2007, three months after the team's fourth championship.

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San Antonio Spurs face new challenge in healthy, motivated Toronto Raptors - San Antonio Express-News

During the past several years, a number of studies have shown that graduates do not need to attend an elite college (e.g., Harvard, Yale, Stanford) to be successful. Instead, the studies consistently showed that students generally have a comparable or even better chance for career success when attending non-elite colleges that are a better fit for their majors, provide environments better suited to their interests and expose students to opportunities for solid internships.

For instance:

The most comprehensive discussion on the topic is a book called Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be by Frank Bruni, a columnist for the New York Times and author of three bestsellers. It provides many examples in which students who were not admitted into elite colleges still became very successful from opportunities realized at non-elite colleges.

Highlighting the findings of the Gallup-Purdue Index, "Measuring the Most Important Outcomes of Higher Education," Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University, said, "Our survey clearly indicated that it wasn't so much where you go to college as much as it is how you go to college what you extract from the campus experience."

In an extensive research paper, "A 'Fit' Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity," Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, says, "Engagement in college is more important than where you attend," and "while some employers might check the name on your college transcript, most care far more about your track record in the field, basic communication and problem-solving skills and the attitude and work ethic you bring to the table."

The educational backgrounds of the Fortune 100 CEOs validate the position that attending an elite college does not make a significant difference in future earning power. In fact, a dominant 89% of Fortune 100 CEOs graduated from non-Ivy League schools, according to Kimberly A. Whitler, author of "A New Study on Fortune 100 CEOs: The (Surprising) Undergraduate Institutions They Attended."

While working with and mentoring many successful professionals during my 40-year career as a growth manager and CEO of large environmental consulting companies, I always found that the college my associates attended was not nearly as important as their basic intellect and work ethic. For example, of nine colleagues who founded and built their own successful companies, as large as $270 million per year, only one attended a college that would be considered "elite."

In fact, we never directly recruited from any elite colleges, and generally, the college any recruit attended was not a major hiring factor. Instead, our primary hiring criteria was the candidates' level of self-motivation, the extent they appeared to be good and passionate about our type of work, their abilities to fit into our "team-oriented" culture and their experiences, including internships. Satisfying these criteria assured us that they would be engaged and happy in their work.

Like the quotes above, it has always been my view that the extreme effort and stress of trying to get into an elite college often would be better spent pursuing other colleges where the student would excel in a major best suited for them. This is especially true for students whose GPAs and SAT scores would make them marginal candidates for acceptance at elite colleges. At an elite college, they might be near the bottom of the "curve" of grades and professor recognition, which can cause major stress and decrease the potential to be hired into the most attractive organizations upon graduation.

If, on the other hand, those same students were to enroll in "less-elite" colleges that are well-suited for their majors, they could be at or near the top of the student grade "curve." This, in turn, would lead to special recognition and very positive interactions with professors. Because of those strong associations, they would be much more likely to be introduced to solid internships or part-time work, which are critically important for employment immediately after graduation into an attractive organization.

Like many other organizations, our firms frequently offered positions to interns at our company immediately upon graduation and at a salary significantly higher than what was typical for a new hire. Generally, this "head start" stuck with them in their careers, and many were well on their way to promotions to higher levels and eventually into management positions.

In my experience, the most important employee qualities that lead to promotions and management positions are (1) their level of self-motivation, (2) their degree of engagement and (3) the degree to which they exhibit "soft" or "leadership skills" critical for successful managers. These include communication, team-building, strategic creativity, flexibility and time and risk management, none of which are in the curriculum of most majors for any colleges. Instead, these talents are learned on the job as the individual rises up the management ladder.

A final interesting point is that while our firms were considered to be elite service providers, our clients never asked from which colleges our staff graduated. Their interest was only that our team would consistently provide high-quality support for their most important environmental and permitting projects.

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Elite Colleges Aren't As Important As Self-Motivation And Choosing The Right Major - Forbes