Connected Growth Introduction

7/30/2019 Connected Growth Introduction

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CONNECTED GROWTH

PEER-SOURCED THOUGHTS TO

IMPROVE YOUNG MILLENNIAL LIFE

LUKE NIELSON


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Endorsements

"Today's generation of young adults is more connected and

more growth orientated than any other generation. In his book

Connected Growth, Luke Nielson serves as a new voice for this

new generation. He delivers not only brilliant content, but

more so delivers it via a collaborative context that is perfect

for this new generation of young adults."

Tony D'Angelo (Founder of Collegiate EmPowerment and Rich Grad)

"Connected Growth features incredibly candid stories crafted

for our peers and BY our peers. This is the beginning of a

movement ready to change the world!"

Amanda Tyson (24-Year-Old Health and Fitness Icon)

"When you turn that magical age of 18, infinite wisdom andknowledge about surviving in the real world aren't suddenly

bestowed upon you. By sharing examples of others their age

that are making it happen, Connected Growth is a great

resource for those of the next generation that are trying to

harness their full potential."

Justin Chenette (21-Year-Old State Representative, Maine)


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Thank You

If you purchased the hard copy of

this book, thank you. 100% of

the net proceeds (all that

remains after printing costs)

will be donated to students

attending my beloved alma

mater, Thornton Academy.Half of the funds will be used

for enrichment scholarships for

those looking to attend traditional

four-year colleges and universities. The

other half will go toward job training assistance.

Thank you, too, if you purchased the online version of thisbook with a social payment. Your share on Facebook or

Twitter has helped expose more of our peers to this terrific

resource.

Regardless of how you acquired this book, youve directly

helped our generation. I hope that this book inspires and

guides you in making more contributions.

Many thanks,

Luke Nielson


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About Me

Ive been a successful entrepreneur since age 11 and Im a

recognized academic scholar and nonprofit founder. Now,

Im a published author. Ive

led an athletic team, a

competitive business club and

a student life organization.

Terrific co-op and internshipexperiences bolster my record

of academic achievement. In

2008, I graduated in the top

ten of my class from Thornton

Academy, and I went on to

major in International

Business and Logistics at

Maine Maritime Academy,

where I graduated Summa

Cum Laude (3.95/4.0 GPA)

four years later. These points

hint to my credentials for this

book. Im 23 years old and ready to share my most usefulthoughts, experiences and tools while theyre still fresh.

Ive included this paragraph to establish my credibility early

on because its important to some people. My credentials

allow you to know where information is coming from and

whether or not its reliable. For more of my professional

details, please visit my LinkedIn profile:www.linkedin.com/in/lukenielson


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Connected Growth:Peer-Sourced Thoughts to Improve Young Millennial LifeLuke Nielson

Copyright 2012 Luke Nielson

Version 1.0Released December 16, 2012Edited by Drew MacKeilAdditional edits by Ashlyn St. Ours

Publishing services donated by Creative Dormwww.CDorm.com

Creative Dorm is a Luke Nielson company

Book design by Luke NielsonPhotography by Haley Carter

All rights reserved except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of thispublication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, orstored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Disclaimer: This publication is designed to provide accurate and personal experienceinformation in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that theauthor, contributors, publisher are not engaged in rendering counseling or other professionalservices. If counseling advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of acompetent professional person should be sought out.

Each Peer Point submitter acknowledged this: You are certifying that you have permissionto post this. You represent and warrant that you own all rights to any content submitted. Youwill indemnify and hold harmless Luke Nielson, The Live Positive Foundation: its directorsand sponsors, The Co-Grow Collective: its directors and sponsors, and Creative DormPublishing: its affiliates, customers, officers and employees from any liability, damage or cost

(including reasonable attorneys, fees and cost) from any claim or demand made by any thirdparty due to or arising out of any content you submit. The four parties may distribute thispost with the inclusion of your first name and your current age. By uploading, submitting orotherwise disclosing or distributing content for display or inclusion, you give the fourmentioned parties unlimited license in perpetuity to the content and the information therein.


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For our young generation;

I cannot wait to see our contributions.


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CONTENTS

PART 1: THE BEGINNING !11HOW AM IQUALIFIED? 12!

THE SIMPLE BELIEF 16!WHAT WERE GOINGTO DO 20!HOW WERE GOINGTO DO IT 22!

SECTIONPOINTS 26!PART 2: SCREENED LIFE !27

OURTOOLBOX 28!AMISH V.CONNECTED:IDENTITY GAPS 34!DANGERS OF DISAPPEARING PROXIMITY 38!NETIQUETTE FOR GLOBAL NETIZENS 46!CLOSURE IN THE OPEN WORLD 51!PHONY 2012:OWN YOUR OPINION 55!

SECTIONPOINTS 69!PART 3: TRANSITIONS !71

JUMPING SHIP 72!PBR:YOUR CHANCE FOR THE BLUE RIBBON 77!

TRANSITIONAL EXPECTANCYTHEORY 82!THE PRE-LIFE CRISIS 85!

SECTIONPOINTS 88!PART 4: ACADEMICS !89

ACADEMIC NEGLIGENCE 90!SAVING THE HOSTAGE 94!EXPECTATIONAL GRADING 98!

THE BEST WAY TO BOOST YOUR GPA 102!LONG SHOWERS AND MANICURED LAWNS 106!CLASSROOM CO-OPETITION 109!CHANNELING INTO CONFLICTEDTEAMS 112!


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OPEN OPPORTUNITIES 118!FOREIGN LANGUAGES 122!RECOGNIZING CUSTOMER INFLUENCE 127!LEXUS LANES TO THE IVY LEAGUE 132!THE SEVERAL YEAR INVESTMENT 135!

SECTIONPOINTS 140!PART 5: INVOLVEMENT !142

THE INVOLVEMENTTHEORY 143!HEDGING THE ACTIVITIES MARKET 148!LOCKER ROOM V.CONFERENCE ROOM 153!ANTICIPATING THE POINT OF DIMINISHING RETURNS 161!

SECTIONPOINTS 165!PART 6: YOUR BRAND !166

YOUNG ADULT INC. 167!BUYING THE SALESMAN 173!CONFIDENCE BEGINS WITH A CON 180!SPEAKING OF CONTRADICTING ELEMENTS 187!EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT 193!STOP EXCUSING THE EXCUSES 198!PEERS,BEERS &FEARS 202!

TEMPORALTRADE-OFFS 207!SUCCESSTHROUGH SEGMENTATION 212!

THE BEST CHAPTER EVER 216!

PROTECTING YOUR BRAND 220!SECTIONPOINTS 224!

PART 7: PROFESSIONAL LIFE !226QUALIFIED TO WIN 227!SO LONG,SYLLABUS 233!CREATING FINANCIAL WEALTH 237

!LIFELONG LEARNING 245!

SECTIONPOINTS 249


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PART 8: CREATION !250TUMBLING AROUND FOR INSPIRATION 251!HUNGRILY SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES 257!ENGAGING A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY 263!UNINTENDED ASSISTANCE 268!KEEPING SCORE 276!DEFINING PROJECT SUCCESS 282!ASSESSMENT INHIBITORS 285!USING THE ERASER 289!IDEA RECEPTACLES 293!

SECTIONPOINTS 297!PART 9: SETBACKS !299

PROGRESSIVE DISCOMFORT 300!ALITTLE BIT OF R&R 305!MINIMIZING MULTIPLE MISTAKES 310!SKILLED QUITTING 314!

TRY TOTRY YOUR BEST 318!WILLINGNESS TO FAIL 322!

SECTIONPOINTS 329!PART 10: ANOTHER BEGINNING !331

PRODUCTIVE YOLOURGENCY 332!INVENIAM AUT FACIAM 337!ACALL FOR COOPERATIVE GROWTH 342!

SECTIONPOINTS 344!APPENDIX !345

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 346!RESEARCH 349!


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Part 1: The Beginning


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How Am I Qualif ied?

Leading the millennial generation requires the ability to includemultiple viewpoints into a cohesive vision. Luke articulates

these thoughts into a connected-growth theme that doesntsacrifice our individuality.

Aaron (21)

I suspect that you and I are a lot alike. Were united by ourgeneration and the basic belief that the future can be better

than the present. We feel a moral responsibility to improve

the world around us. We are Young Millennials. Though

the exact range is sometimes debated, Millennials are

generally considered to have been born between 1978 and

2000, meaning theyre currently somewhere between 12 and

34 years old. Of course, vast differences exist between a 12-

year-old and a 30-year-old. For that reason, this book focuses

on the Young Millennial, a range that stretches from the

freshman year of high school to the freshman year of real life,

or one year after the highest level of academic enrollment.

Our generation is the largest the nation has ever seen, even

surpassing the Baby Boomers.

So, why should you listen to me? Its a question I myself

had to answer before I could write anything half good. Being


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23 years old is one of my most basic qualifications; but let me

be clear: I havent written this book from the position of an

all-knowing being. Im just like you. Ive been defeated and

triumphant, a failure and a victor. Ive struggled withinsecurities and self-doubt, and although Im currently

happier and more successful than I have ever been, I dont

have all the answers.

A great sense of responsibility comes with the important

topics explored in these pages, so the question remains: how

am I qualified? Undoubtedly there are people with moreexperience, better professional statistics and more interesting

personal stories. Maybe their books could be self-sourced, but

mine cannot; the answer is that alone, I am not qualified to

create this book.

If I want to do something, I start by learning from someone

who recently accomplished my goal. While Im proud tobring you my own insights, my peers have great stories to

share, too. Now, Id like to introduce my amazingly engaged

community of peer collaborators. Members of this

community may be your age or a little older, but these

collaborators have relevant advice to share. Youll see their

names throughout this book, and a full list can be found in the

Acknowledgments section. Their insights have been captured

and presented directly in Peer Points, or short bits of

wisdom, meant to remind you that this is a peer-sourced effort

(while nicely framing each chapter). While I may not be

qualified to write this book alone, Im equipped to share the

individual thoughts of our peers with our larger generation.

Basically, I love projects. I always need something to work

on and starting to write this book as a sophomore in college

was a true test of my creative vision, but that was only the


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beginning. Ive learned how to ask questions and speak to

many different types of people. Gleaning the information that

can form the backbone of a chapter requires asking tough

questions, which might be a little awkward, even for a skilledinterviewer. As I grew more comfortable with the process, I

was able to drive down to the details and record the

information in an orderly fashion.

Ive led groups of 30 or more people, working on complex

projects with fast-approaching deadlines. I like working in

teams with dedicated partners and can manage projects. Thisexperience proved useful when harnessing the collective

power of the peer collaborators. Additionally, my hobbies

have honed the practical skills needed to market this book and

start the movement: I enjoy graphic design, web design,

application coding and video production. Although I

underestimated the effort needed to write and revise a projectof this magnitude, I had the relentless determination and

adaptability to learn how to write something larger-scale than

an academic paper. Simply put, this project was designed

around my unique skills.

Time for a general caveat: Ive written this book. Just as

you decide what you want people to know about you in your

online profiles, I, too, have carefully crafted the content of this

book. Just as people collaborate in telling your online story by

posting, tagging and commenting, our peers have

collaborated in the creation of this book. In each setting, we

can control and filter inputs to design our vision of the most

favorable output of that collaboration. To use another

analogy, if this book was a photograph, I would be thephotographer. Others influenced the composition of the

subject, but ultimately I decided how to crop it, what to show


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and what not to show. Remember that nearly everything

around us, including this book, has been carefully designed

with an intention, and the design can be traced back to a

single individual. Of course, I appreciate your trust and viewthis as the most important assignment of my young life. Still,

we may not see eye to eye, so dont be afraid to search for

other sources if this material doesnt connect with you.

Im qualified to write this book, with the help of our peers,

because Im not only a part of our generation, but I have the

skills to blend all of our voices into one, united speech. Myown experiences have given me the much-needed context to

understand peer stories at a depth that allowed me to include

them in this project effectively. Im proud to be a member of

this generation, and, as your fellow Young Millennial, Im

excited to see our ultimate impact.


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The Simple Belief

Peers can be extremely powerful. Each of us has aresponsibility to make sure we're functioning as a positive

influence on the people around us.

Alex (22)

Core beliefs can be amazingly powerful. In fact, the same

belief at the core of this book has been driving my actions formany years. I founded a nonprofit in my senior year of high

school called The Live Positive Foundation, with the simple

thought that, just as young people may act as negative

influences on each other, they can also inspire positive

changes amongst their peers. We created award-winning

videos urging our peers to live more positively. I recognized

that young people are best positioned to influence other

young people in both negative and positive directions. I

believe in positive peer power, and this isnt just some crazy

idea. In fact, its backed up with scientific research.


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An experiment conducted in San Diego provides clear

evidence of this truth.1 The researchers needed something

that would provide a simple and reliable basis of

measurement. Deciding that energy usage in homes was easyenough to measure, they collected data on how much each

house used over an initial period. The same researchers

crafted four different signs that they thought would impact

the energy usage. Split evenly into quarters, the signs were

distributed to neighborhoods with these messages:

1. Please reduce energy consumption in your homein order to reduce the expenditure of resources on

the planet.

2. Please reduce energy consumption in your home

in order to save money at the end of the month on

your own bill.

3.

Please reduce energy consumption in your homefor future generations so that your children will

have access to these resources.

4. The majority of your neighbors are regularly

undertaking efforts to reduce energy in their

homes, please follow.

Ask yourself which sign would have the most impact on

you. We probably agree that #4 would matter the least, while

the more influential messages are between #1, #2 and #3,

perhaps with lean to number 2. Who cares what our

1This is not a textbook. To remain entirely focused on the message, the sources

that back up this content have been removed from the chapters themselves.Instead, theyre separated alphabetically by chapter and presented at the very endin the Research section. If you want to dig deeper into a fact mentioned in thecontent, simply follow the links provided in Research for that specific chapter tosee the direct sources used.


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neighbors are doing? After all, were individuals, right? Our

culture glorifies individualism more than almost any other in

the world.

Amazingly, the houses that received message #4 were the

only ones that dramatically reduced their energy use. This

may not be shocking in the context of this book, as Ive

already introduced my basic belief and billed this experiment

as evidence that it exists. Interestingly, though, when

approached later for follow-up interviews, those who had

received the message about their neighbors scoffed at theability of their peers to influence their actions. The same

results have been replicated in other settings as well, like with

reusing bath towels at a hotel. Not only do we naturally want

to do what our peers are doing, but were also terrible at

identifying the forces influencing our actions. Experiments

like these reveal the power of peers to inspire pro-socialbehavior, or things that are better for everybody. Thats what

I call positive peer power.

Complementing this core belief is another observation. We

may share our daily schedules, funny memes or favorite

music videos, but rarely do we share our experiences. In fact,

unless valuable information is filtered down to us from older

siblings, we seldom learn important experiential lessons from

our peers. Because theres a lack of this useful sharing, we

often feel like were all alone, like no one has ever felt how we

currently feel, and thats simply not true. Were neglecting to

share the most useful things that can make a difference in the

growth of our generation.

The opportunity lies within what I refer to as experience

gaps. As Young Millennials were growing at an exhausting

rate. Even just a year or two can totally transform who we


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are. Look at the major life transitions and see the experience

gaps between an eighth grader and a high school freshman, or

a high school senior and a college freshman. Channeling our

own insights and experiences down just a year or two canchange everything for our slightly younger peers.

You may be thinking that the most efficient way to

capitalize on experience gaps is to make a big jump and pull

insight from an older adult. Nearly all of the books focused

on our stage of life were written by adults, so many people

think thats the right thing to do, but I disagree. Wevestumbled onto a secondary belief that has heavily influenced

this book: Experience-based insight is as perishable as fresh

fruit.

Is there ever conflict with the advice your parents,

grandparents, uncles and aunts give you? Unbeknownst to

them, their suggestions can be frustratingly invalid to yourworld, making them seem clueless. You cant always apply

old plans to new circumstances and get the desired results.

The world around us is dynamic, and for that reason, we must

share what we know, when we know it, before its obsolete.

Even this book will, at some point, become outdated and

require updating with the latest available information.

My belief in positive peer power has been a perpetual

source of inspiration for this book. We rarely acknowledge

the influence we have on our peers, and we hardly ever

realize that we can significantly improve the lives of one

another. By fully accepting our innate responsibility to our

peers and to our entire generation, our perspective opens up

to new possibilities.


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What Were Going To Do

In our always-on, hyperconnected society, oversharing hasbecome commonplace. Now, it's our responsibility to share

valuable insights instead of just information.

Ashlyn (22)

Intentions are vitally important, so let me share mine now.

However straightforward they may seem, they have been and

will continue to be challenging. My most basic objective is to

ambitiously begin to fill the experience gaps because the more

prepared we are, the more well grow. In fact, I wrote this

book because theres a deficit of useful sharing that we must

overcome. This approach doesnt already exist on another

shelf under a different title. What we as a community ofpeer collaborators working together are doing is entirely

new. Despite our modern technology, theres a lack of the

most pivotal peer-to-peer resources for our generation, and

thats why were doing it. Were going to seize the

opportunity that has, until now, been missed.

Filling the gap by initiating and supporting useful sharingefforts will afford our peers many benefits. Well provide:

1. Much-needed support


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2. Fresh, experience-based guidance

3. Gentle encouragement

Showing the individual members of our audience that

theyre not alone in their struggles and that their peers have

overcome similar experiences delivers support, disguised as

comfort. Explaining in depth how they survived and bounced

back from setbacks supplies guidance. Peeling back the layers

of insecurity to reveal their innate resilience and amazing

potential furnishes encouragement. Through this process,

were also going to uncover the connections that bond thesethree inner objectives together. This context is important, but

theres a more salient, overarching goal.

What exactly are we connected to, and whats the result?

Do our devices and the omnipresent social networks they

enable actually make us closer to the people, places and things

we love, or are we connecting to surrogate passions? Whenthe most common way to get some serious face time is by

launching Apples FaceTime, we have new obstacles. Being

connected doesnt necessarily mean were going to grow.

Sometimes the constant connection we so desperately crave

can actually hold us back. Together, were going to make a

lasting contribution by forging a more beneficial type of

connected growth.


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How Were Going To Do It

Sharing real life experiences with your peers is the best way toencourage personal growth.

Caissie (21)

An objective without a plan is pointless, so the how is

crucial. How exactly are we going to accomplish the goals set

forth in the previous section? These arent just my ideas; its

about us and our generation, hence the inclusion of peer-

sourced in the subtitle. The singular perspective, I, has

been replaced by the more fitting plural, we. Im still

learning, like you. This is ourbook and ourmovement. You

are as much a part of this project as I am. When people

inquire about the genre of this book, I avoid calling it self-help, preferring the more appropriate classification of peer

help. Youre not alone, and together, were going to leverage

positive peer power.

Were going to share. Were the first generation naturally

programmed to share, and our networks allow for amazing

reach. What are we going to share? To foster the usefulsharing that our generation needs to accelerate growth, were

going to share our most valuable learning experiences. The


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first way were going to do this is already complete, and

youre reading it. Projects like this book are a good place to

start. I spent hundreds of hours interviewing dozens of peers

to supplement my own stories and experiences. This collectedinformation became an integral part of the foundation of this

work.

Lets pause and examine this book a bit more closely to

prepare you for what youre about to encounter. With a few

exceptions, most of the chapters follow a similar structure. Ill

introduce a problem, opportunity or threat and immediatelyfollow that by offering a thought, tool or experience-based

lesson that provides a possible solution.

To summarize and reiterate the main points of each chapter,

the sections of this book are wrapped up with Section

Points. Following the order in which the chapters were

delivered, one condensed point is dedicated to each chapter ofthe previous section. Well begin by exploring how our ever-

present screens are affecting our capabilities, identities and

relationships before quickly progressing to sometimes

troubling transitions and academic topics. Academic life

springs us forward into extracurricular involvement, which

stresses the importance of your personal brand. This valuable

brand interacts with your pending professional life and the

balance between obstacles and opportunities found in that

scary, post-academic world.

Ultimately, youll finish this book with another beginning

and an urgent call-to-action. Links to the research used

throughout can be found alphabetically by chapter at the very

end. While I think all of the content in this book can be

helpful to you on some level, I want to make something very

clear: Theres no single theme thats methodically developed;


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everything doesnt finally come together and make sense at

chapter X. Therefore, reading it cover to cover isnt

completely necessary to still gain something. Dont be afraid

to skip around and take only what you need.

Early on, some critics questioned whether a book was truly

the best medium to communicate these ideas to our

generation. I debated it before emphatically answering

YES! These ideas need context. The relative complexity

cant be communicated through a meme or a short post. We

need words to leave room for someone to individuallyinterpret the meaning, so he or she will digest it in a way that

is relevant. These arent topics to skim over before

mundanely tweeting about what your cat is doing. Having a

book, something that takes a little more thought to process,

fixes this problem. However, there is also an underlying

problem with books. Putting words on a shelf gives themexactly what youd expect: a shelf life.

Yes, Ive expanded the view tremendously here by

incorporating insights from dozens of peers, but still, once its

published, its published. As much as Id like to keep

updating this book, releasing edition after edition with all the

stories our generation has to offer, it is simply not a feasible

option. We need an outlet that can continue to morph and

grow as we grow. In this way, the book is the springboard for

another initiative, one that has a lot more potential.

Heres where you come in again. That other initiative is

The Co-Grow Collective and its our useful sharing

platform for continued cooperative growth. Here, any

member of our generation can submit an installment to be

broadcast to our audience simply by sharing a relevant

thought, experience or tool that will benefit our peers by


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creatively employing any medium. The Co-Grow Collective

will spark interesting conversations and the useful sharing

that will undoubtedly make our lives richer. With promising

room to grow, more information will be shared about thisinitiative with a call-to-action in the final section of this book.

There are different ways to accomplish most goals, and

some objectives require a hybrid approach. Ultimately, a

project like this book is a great way to collect and share

information with the rest of our generation because its easy to

include plenty of helpful contexts. Other media (like video,music and visual arts) can also help distribute beneficial

content. With the finiteness of a published work, developing

another platform that can continue to adapt is key to the

sustainability of a movement. Well accomplish our goals here

by utilizing a diversified approach to capitalize on various

useful sharing opportunities.Regardless of our intentions, developing an idealistic goal is

useless without the practical strategy to make it a reality. By

sharing what we know and when we know it, well be able to

benefit our peers and our entire generation. This is bigger

than any one person and the sincere level of collaboration

demands the use of we for these objectives and this plan.

Together, we can be extremely powerful. Get excited! This is

just the beginning of our revolution.


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Section Points

1. The powerful combination of my dedicated

community of peer collaborators and my own

unique skills and experiences qualify me to write

this book for our generation.

2. Just as Young Millennials may negatively influence

one another, were also best positioned to influence

our peers in a positive manner.

3. By providing support (disguised as comfort),

guidance and encouragement, well begin to fill

the experience gaps around us and create a morebeneficial form of connected growth.

4. Were going to accomplish our goals by selectively

sharing our valuable learning experiences through

instruments like this book and the adaptable Co-

Grow Collective.


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Youve reached the end of the introduction.

Lets keep going!

You can get the hard copy (350+pages) in a beautiful 6 x 9 inchcut for $9.95.

100% of net proceeds (all that

remains after printing costs) willbe donated to scholarships forThornton Academy students.

You can get the complete online version for a Facebook orTwitter share using our innovative social payment system.

For either option, please visit:

www.ConnectedGrowth.com

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Connected Growth Introduction