Brandon Paulin is the top official in the town of Indian Head even if he is only 19years old. Mr. Paulin started the job in May, and his first goal is to recover the business in the town. The area is about two and a half kilometers wide and sits between two rivers. About 4,000 people live there. It includes small businesses, old homes on tree-lined streets, and new townhouses along the highway. It is about an hour's drive away from Washington, D. C. But on the way to the capital, the highway passes the remains of closed businesses. The shops failed largely because of competition from shopping centers in larger cities.

Mr. Paulin says when some people drive into Indian Head and see the empty buildings, they just turn around and leave. He hopes to return the town to a friendly and successful place with natural beauty where people want to live and visit. “Many years ago,Indian Head was a booming(繁荣的) town, and that's what I want to get back,” he said.

Right now, the people who own the old, empty buildings are permitted to use their properties to reduce their taxes. Mr. Paulin wants to change the situation. He plans to charge owners a fee for empty buildings,and to increase the cost every year.

The owner of a local health food  store where Mr. Paulin buys fruit drinks is also happy about the young mayor. Kelly Murphy says,“His age doesn't bother me. I know he's excited, and I feel when we get around him, we will feel excited too. We've lost that for many years in this town. ”

Mr. Paulin began taking part in city politics at the age of 10. At that time, he urged town officials to put in signs urging drivers to be aware of pedestrians (行李). Mr. Paulin succeeded. Since then, he has been involved in the town government.

As a mayor, Mr. Paulin earns only $6,000 a year. Mr. Paulin lives at home and takes college classes online. His mother, Wendy Paulin, says her son accepts challenges and works on problems until he has a solution.

   Many people want to achieve success in life, but it's easier said than done because there are so many distractions(分散注意力的事). Then how to be successful? 【小题1】

Imagine becoming successful.

Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. The more carefully you imagine your success, the easier it will be for the rest of yourself to follow through. 【小题2】 What is your success like? Taste the feeling of your success, and use it as motivation(动机)to encourage yourself.

Find the purpose of your life.

Find out the things you love to do, and use this information to find the purpose of your life. Finding what you love to do will give you motivation along the way. 【小题3】 Pretty difficult, right? Now imagine the opportunity to join in a chess game. It's much easier to achieve your goal if that is what you enjoy.

Surround yourself with people who are successful.

When you're surrounded with people who are highly driven, it's encouraging. 【小题4】 Model some of your ways around theirs, if possible. Knowledge is as free as it is powerful.

Collect as much information as you can.

Listen. Study. Understand. Learn. Repeat. Humans are amazing creatures because we can look at the world, make intellectual(理智的)connections,and use those connections to make our lives better. This is what information allows us to do. 【小题5】 You never know when your flash of wisdom will come!