Our mission in starting Educo Community was simple – create a platform where expert ideas could be heard.

But in a noisy world how do you define who is an “expert”?

Knowing full well that we weren’t the experts on this topic (see what I did there?) we turned to an organization who is known around the world for selecting great experts – TED.

On November 4th, four days prior to Election Day, President Obama sat down with Bill Maher to discuss some pressing issues the country faced. 

*Note: I'm just using this as an example, this isn't about either man's politics.

To my great delight, one of the first discussion points was of great importance to me:

In 1813, Humphrey Davy–a prominent British scientist, and a member of the Royal Society–damaged his eyesight in an accident with nitrogen trichloride. 

It was perhaps the luckiest accident in modern human history...

If you, with mind untroubled,
Would flourish, day-by-day,
Let each day of the seven
Find coffee on your tray.
It will your frame preserve from every malady
Its virtues drive afar la! la!
Migraine and dread catarrh – ha! ha!
Dull cold and lethargy.

Audiences were appalled in 1732 when Johan Sebastian Bach created the “Coffee Cantata” as a satirical protest of Germany’s demonization of his favorite beverage.

At the time, coffee was villainized just as much as many illegal drugs today. But Bach loved the drink so much that he was willing to explore an entirely new genre–humor–and begin protesting through his music.

And he was not alone.

There are two categories of people in this world: hedgehogs and foxes.

The fox knows a great many things. He is cunning and smart. He is fast and sneaky. He is willing to try a lot of strategies to beat the hedgehog and win his share of the forest.

The hedgehog, on the other hand, knows one big thing. He is simple. He knows only one strategy but executes it to perfection. Whatever the fox tries, the hedgehog defends himself with what he knows how to do best. 

When they face each other, the fox always tries a new strategy to defeat the hedgehog.

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their choice of field.” – Vince Lombardi

In 1959 Vince Lombardi finally got the chance he had worked all of his life for; to become the head coach of a National Football League (NFL) team. 

The problem was that the team he was going to coach was the Green Bay Packers.

Growing up in rural Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger had little chance of achieving fame or fortune. 

He lived in a tiny village called Thal where children were groomed to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Arnold’s parents were set on him joining the military and becoming a police officer like his father. 

But Arnold knew he was meant for something bigger. 

When he was 12 years old, Kobe Bryant was about to give up basketball forever.

He just completed his summer basketball camp and was going home a disgrace. He thought it would be the beginning of a flawless journey to becoming the star NBA player that we all know today – especially because his father, Joe Bryant, played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 8 years before playing his final 6 years in Italy.

During those 6 years in Italy, the Bryant family fully embraced the culture. This included Kobe playing soccer for most of his youth and showing a lot of promise in the sport.

It was 10 hours into the Ironman Triathlon. Kara, a first-time Ironman Triathlete, felt so close to the finish yet she still had so far to go.

She had completed the 2.4 miles of swimming, the 112 miles of biking and half of the 26.2 miles of running. So much done, but she still had another 13.1 miles of pavement in front of her.

It was then that the physical toll of the event hit her. Her shoulders were aching, the blisters on her feet were excruciating, and her legs felt completely hollow. She felt like there was no way she could make it through the last 13.1 miles.