1 . The 40th birthday is often treated as a milestone birthday. For men, especially, the birthday may symbolically signify the start of middle age.     1    . Give the man turning 40 in your life a gift that he will treasure or one that will make him laugh.

Many 40th birthday parties are roasts. They are meant to be funny. If this is the case and the man has a good sense of humor, consider giving him a gag gift. Wrap up a magazine printed in large print or set a cane or walker by his chair.     2    .

Recapture the man’s feeling of youth by giving him the gift of adventure.     3    . For example, if he has always wanted to go paragliding (滑翔伞运动), pay for the lesson, pick him up in the car and don’t give him a chance to back out of it.

Most men don’t outgrow their love of expensive toys. Get together with some friends and chip in for a 40th birthday gift he will truly treasure.     4    . Giving him something expensive that he would never purchase for himself is a great way to stave off that middle-age crisis.

Give the man the gift of words. Write a list of 40 things that you love about him and then read it aloud to him while dining on his favorite meal. Alternately, ask everyone in the family to write one admiring thing about him. Once you have 40 sentences, give them to the man. It will be treasure he will remember for a long time.

2 . While there are many summer programs for high school students in NYC, the Career Edge, an NYU high school summer program, affords students an exceptional college and career readiness experience. It has served thousands of high school students from around the world in exploring career paths and experiencing what it is like to live on the NYU campus and learn at a well-known university.

The program offers you the chance to explore a career path before you declare it as a college major. Many students choose to attend multiple weeks, taking a different course each session.

The courses focus on the content that provides a comprehensive overview of your area of interest. Field trips to related companies and organizations bring what you learn in class to life.

Living and learning in NYC is an unforgettable adventure. You’ll dive deep into the course content that immerses you in industry, while enjoying the culture and excitement of the city.

Tony: The Finance class was great. We explored Wall Street, visited Federal Hall and the Museum of American Finance, and learned how to trade stocks. The instructor made the course interesting and entertaining.

Ava: The Integrated Marketing class was very informative. The instructor was a real professional. Visits to digital agencies and marketing firms gave me an insider’s view of what it’s like to work in the field.

3 . “The majority of decisions we make do not come from the conscious (有意识的) mind, but the subconscious mind,” Beni Gradwohl, the co-founder of Cognovi Labs, said. “Our decisions are based on emotions. People think they are very rational (理智的). But they are not. In fact, decisions in the subconscious mind are made in a second before the rational mind recognizes that.”

Gradwohl used to think that cold and hard data defined the world. But when he was exposed to behavioral economics, his world view changed. He said, “Emotional intelligence is more important than intelligence quotient (IQ). Most successful leaders in the world don’t have above-average IQ but above average emotional quotient (EQ).”

Gradwohl co-founded AI company, Cognovi Labs, to better understand how people make decisions, using data and science and technology to measure underlying emotions.

When asked how event organizers could benefit from using emotional AI, Gradwohl said, “The first thing is whether you really understand what’s driving your target audience to an event.” He added, “You can ask them, but what potential registrants tell you may be incorrect.”

According to Gradwohl, registering for an event is not an entirely rational decision, and it goes deeper. Understanding how your target audience makes decisions is important because you don’t want to sell them something they don’t care about. Cognovi Labs’ AI can uncover the underlying emotional drivers or blockers of your target audience’s decision-making.

Beyond using Cognovi Labs’ AI in the marketing leading up to an event, once the event is underway, Gradwohl thinks organizers can know how their participants are feeling via the AI. That involves using feedback (反馈) surveys. He said, “Have attendees talk to the event app and then transcribe that. We call that diagnostic (诊断的) interview because they may generate a strong emotional response. With those conversations about what they are experiencing throughout the program at different times of the day, we will see what the emotional blockers and drivers are. We can get a full picture of the emotional aspects of the attendees.”

4 . Research shows that forming connections with your coworkers is good for your career and your overall happiness.

It’s a fact that as you get older, it becomes harder to make friends. It’s a natural progression, whether you work in an office or a remote area. As you get older and leave school, you often have more demands for your time and fewer opportunities to get to know those around you.

“Maintaining friendships takes effort, but it’s well worth it,” says CEO and Fast Company contributor Corey Weiner. “Studies show that a friend can make you a better collaborator (合作者), a more creative and productive worker and generally happier with your job.”

After all, most of you spend a huge number of your waking hours at work. Of course, it’s more fun to have someone to collaborate with and occasionally sympathize with. But how do you go about making genuine connections with coworkers or other like-minded individuals in your industry?

It might sound overly simplistic, but a big part of building friendships is just putting yourself out there. “If you’re not used to having a lot of friends any more, you may actually need to remind yourself to engage,” writes Professor Art Markman. “Set time on your calendar for a phone call or make plans to get a cup of coffee.”

“Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move,” says Keith Rollag, author of What to Do When You’re New. “If things go well during an initial coffee or activity, actively follow up to build on that connection.”

You’re not going to immediately bond with all of your coworkers or every person you meet at a networking happy hour. But making continual attempts to find connections with your non-annoying colleagues will eventually pay off. Last but not least, don’t call them work husband or work wife in the beginning.

5 . The beauty industry produces many units of one-time use containers every year. More and more consumers are asking how they can keep themselves clean and beautiful without trashing the planet.

It’s a question Women of the Future winner, Natassia Nicolao, considered during her years working in product development for beauty and wellness companies. Raised by a strong and supportive mother, Natassia used her skills and passion to make a difference. In 2021, she created her waterless beauty brand.

She said, “Water is involved in every stage of a product life cycle. Everything we use, buy, sell and make has a huge water footprint. On top of that, the beauty industry adds water as the main ingredients in its products, despite it having no direct benefit to our skin.”

Having lived through water restrictions in drought-ridden Australia, Natassia felt it necessary to stop the overuse of water in the beauty industry. Natassia has always loved beauty. Her company tries to be sustainable in every step of the way, but at its core, it is about removing water from our beauty routines.

“It’s really rooted in water conservation first, and then managing your water footprint, your carbon footprint and your waste footprint,” Natassia said. “We create waterless beauty products to help conserve water.” The glass bottles and jars of her products can be recycled. The oils and wipes are formulated without any water, requiring no water to use. The company also has a piece of game-changing beauty technology: face-wipes and masks that completely dissolve in water.

“The company is still in its beginning,” Natassia said. With the prize money from Women of the Future, she plans to purchase a machine to simplify the creation of the wipes and masks. The publicity, meanwhile, will help her spread the message central to the company’s existence that beauty must do better. Natassia believes that, with a little courage and innovation, it can do.

9 . Our planet is an amazing place, but it needs our help to survive! By taking part in activities like planting trees and saving energy, we can make our world a happier and healthier place.

Plant a tree

Researchers estimate roughly 15 billion trees in the world are cut down each year. So help make up that loss by planting a tree of your own. Trees absorb CO₂ and produce oxygen for us to breathe. They also provide shelter and food for animals. Depending on where trees are planted, their shade can even reduce the need for air-conditioning in hotter months.     1     ?

Turn off the lights

Electricity doesn’t just happen.     2    . Although more and more electricity is made from renewable sources like wind, water and the sun, it still comes at a cost. Wind farms, big dams and solar panels take up a lot of land. But a lot of times electricity comes from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, or natural gas, that contribute to climate change.     3    .

Limit your water usage

It might seem like water is everywhere. But the fact is that less than one percent of the water on Earth can be used by humans.     4    . Turning off the faucet (水龙头) when you brush your teeth can save up to eight gallons of water a day. To help save even more water, challenge yourself to take a shorter shower but still get clean!

    5    

Start a collection campaign for recyclable items. Talk to your friends and family members about what you’re doing and ask them to help. The more people do, the better off our planet will be!

10 . The following small European villages will provide you with a chance to experience the beauty of nature and a sense of adventure, from climbing a mountain to taking a dive in the ocean.

Deià, Spain

Hidden between the towering Tramuntana Mountain and the blue Mediterranean, the village’s natural beauty inspires not just writers and painters, but adventure-seekers, too. From this peaceful village, cyclists can ride across this mountainous but bike-friendly region. After working up a sweat, they can go to the best beach, Cala Deià, in Spain. Its waters are perfect for giving the tired muscles a break with a relaxing dive.

Mürren, Switzerland

In Mürren, the fun starts before you arrive. This beautiful Swiss village sits on a Bernese Oberland mountain shelf so high that travelers must arrive by cable car. Like many mountain resort towns these days, Mürren offers year-round activities. Besides downhill skiing in winter, brave climbers can enjoy themselves from June to October, with or without a guide.

San Gimignano, Italy

In the Middle Age, wealthy families of this hill town went on a tower-building competition. At one point there were more than 70 towers, some of which were nearly 200 feet in height. Initially built as defenses in wars with neighboring villages, the towers became symbols of wealth and fame. Today, the village draws both history and wine lovers. Visitors can enjoy the famous white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, at the tasting centers which overlook the surrounding grape hills.

Chipping Campden, England

Arguably the loveliest village in England, Chipping Campden isn’t just a photographer’s dream. It is also known for the annual Olympic Games in summer, a 400-year tradition that copies the Greek Olympics. It includes horseracing, coursing, jumping, backswords and country dancing. But the highlight is the wrestling that thankfully has never caught on anywhere else.