At 16 years old, Sam had always been a relatively good student. He put in an effort to get good grades and keep his parents happy. Neither of his parents had had the opportunity to attend university and for them, Sam becoming a lawyer was their biggest ambition. He knew that achieving this goal would make them happy, but the truth was that he wasn’t sure whether he would feel the same.

Since he was only a child, Sam had been passionate about computer programming. He taught himself how to use a computer, and by the age of 12 he had known three different programming languages. He did all of this in his spare time. He was quite an introvert (内向的人) , so he preferred staying in with his computer, rather than going out socialising or playing sports. His parents were fine with this, as long as he continued to focus on his studies.

One day, while reading an article online about a young technology billionaire called Thomas O’Connor, everything changed for Sam. In the article, the CEO said that his company was trying to create a new and improved way of paying for goods online but that they were having a problem with the security system. He said if they could overcome this, they could launch the biggest and best online payment system in the world. Sam realised he had an idea on how to solve this problem. Thinking that it wouldn’t come to anything, he emailed the CEO, introducing himself and explaining his idea.

He forgot all about it and got on with his life and studies, but then a month later, the most amazing thing happened. He got a response directly from the CEO. He told him he loved his idea and would like him to fly to America to meet with him. He said he knew Sam still needed to finish school, but that when he had, he would be happy to offer Sam a job in the company. Sam was overjoyed, but soon began to worry. What about his parents’ ambition for him? Should he tell them or turn down the offer? It was a difficult decision to make.

Four Colombian children survived a plane crash only to be lost deep in the Amazon rainforest for well over a month. This is how they survived this horrifying situation.

It’s most people’s nightmare: surviving a plane crash only to be trapped in a jungle with no way of contacting the outside world. But they survived. The children, aged 13, nine and four, as well as an 11-month-old baby, were flying with their mother from their village in the Amazon to visit their father in San José del Guaviare. The single-engine Cessna on which they were flying experienced engine problems and disappeared on May 1, 2023.

Bad weather prevented the army from finding the crash site for two weeks, where they then found the dead bodies of three adults, including the children’s mother. How did these children survive conditions that would be an unimaginable struggle for most adults? They are members of the Huitoto Indigenous group and were raised in the jungle. As such, they have an intimate understanding of the rainforest. They know which fruits are safe to eat and which plants should be avoided.

Working with, rather than against, the Amazon, they survived on fruits and seeds, while feeding the baby water mixed with yucca flour that they found on the plane. While the children got on with the business of surviving, the Colombian army worked with Indigenous volunteers to find them. After 40 days of searching, the children were found and taken to recover at a military hospital in Bogota.

While many around the world have taken this survival story to be a miracle, others point out that it is the result of an ancient and intimate knowledge of the rainforest that has been passed down through Indigenous communities over the generations. Indigenous tribes have a close relationship to the Amazon, marked by a deep respect for the forest that provides them with shelter and nutritious ingredients. It is their close connection to and understanding of the rainforest that undoubtedly helped the children to survive.

You might not have heard of the “fresh start effect”, but if you’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution (决心), you’re familiar with it. It refers to the human tendency to take action towards achieving a goal after a special occasion or key date has passed.

The fresh start effect is simple. Most people want to improve themselves in some way. When we hit important milestones (里程碑), we’re often likely to reflect: was this year a successful year, or did we waste it? Annual landmarks like birthdays, or the start of a new year, signify a new time period and an opportunity to leave mistakes behind and to set new goals for better behavior.

Research shows that expectation of a new beginning is a key motivator for the fresh start effect. For example, people aged 29,39,49 etc. were 48% more likely to run a marathon for the first time. When they were approaching a new decade, they were more likely to search for meaning in their lives and try to improve themselves. The reason is simple. When we see our past self as separate from our current self, we feel it easier to introduce new goals and take action.

What’s interesting about the fresh start effect is that we don’t need to wait for big milestones to take advantage of this sudden motivation (动力). Studies show that the first day of each month and even each week can also inspire us. These days, known as “temporal landmarks”, encourage us to step back and think about our current situation. And when we do this, we gain the motivation to be better: we become more driven and more productive. That is why people are more likely to start diets or exercise plans on Monday, rather than the next day.

Fresh starts are exciting opportunities to learn from your mistakes and move forward. So, if you’re currently experiencing loss of motivation, questioning the meaning of your work, or just feel like you’re stuck in a rut (一成不变的生活), why don’t you use the fresh start effect in your own life?

I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. The effort made in vain is unavoidable in some rescue work. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.

I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl (猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2-to 3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.

I examined the chick (雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct a nest and anchor it in a tree. The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.

Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.

A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all—LUNCH! The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.

Rock climbing is not an easy sport. It requires not only physical strength, but also complete mental concentration. But don’t tell 20-year-old Sasha diGuilian that. This fearless girl who has been controlling the sport ever since she entered this field, is just getting warmed up.

The youngster says that she began climbing even before she could walk. As a baby, she was constantly escaping from her bed and as a young child always leading her friends to the nearest rocks or hills. Then at the age of seven she attended her brother’s birthday party at a local rock climbing gym and knew she had found her gift for rock climbing.

Soon after, she joined the local center in her home town of Alexandria, Virginia and began climbing — first once a week, then twice and soon, almost every day. Her moment came at the age of nine when she won her first climbing competition by taking part in an event that she hadn’t even known, until she went to the gym for her normal climbing routine(常规). Her competitive nature and love for the sport immediately reached the peak and she began training seriously, but this time outside the gym — climbing real mountains.

As a youngster, she won the Junior Continental Championships from 2004 to 2010. Then, as soon as she was old enough, she went on to win the Pan American Championship, the US National Championship and in 2011, at just 18 years of age, was crowned Female Overall World Champion in Arco, Italy .

She is also the youngest woman to have completed a 5.14d graded climb. It is something that even most experienced climbers fear to try, because a small slip could result in a severe injury or even death.