CategoriesActionObserveProgressReframe your thoughts

Learning While Teaching

Learning something is good. Being able to convey that knowledge to someone else is brilliant. Learning while teaching a skill or subject is possibly the highest form of engaged interaction.

I’ve heard good teachers, speakers and sports personalities refer to how much they learn while sharing their knowledge or skill. It is an interesting aspect of life. By giving someone the benefit of our experience, knowledge or skill, not only will they gain, but we gain as well.

However, we may only gain if we are paying attention and open to learning. If we assume we are only providing information, we may miss the opportunity to receive feedback loops of learning.

It takes a certain skill to transfer knowledge from yourself to someone else. Not everyone is good at it, though it can be learned. Though while you are transferring that knowledge, you can also reassess how you learned, understood or integrated that knowledge. During this process, you may look at things in a new light. Perhaps new experiences, thoughts or information will impact your perception and adjust your mindset.

Although it can be quite difficult to be confronted with new points of view, it is beneficial to grasp those moments. If there was only one best way and one right answer, we would all know it by now.

Learning while teaching is a worthwhile skill to develop.

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CategoriesActionProgressReframe your thoughts

Selection Is Critical

Freedom of choice is a powerful thing. Selection is critical in choosing your health, your career, your partner, your income, your thoughts and actions.

Sometimes people don’t realise there are choices. Or they know but are so dismissive of all of their other known choices that they stick to only one. You select the input for your life. You decide which media you choose to follow and influence your thoughts and philosophy.

Just like a media outlet chooses which story goes up as the lead story, you choose the thoughts you want to focus on. The media outlet employees find the ideal picture to accompany their story and the angle they have selected to run with.

We often unconsciously go ahead with certain thoughts and actions because they feel good and are comforting. We call the same friends, read the same news and watch the same shows. Sometimes we need that. But to grow, we are better off mixing it up a little. Go learn something new or different. Become a bit uncomfortable. Select things you wouldn’t normally choose.

I do that a lot with news, views and foods. I have rarely had a bad experience and I always find out more about myself and the world.

Selection is critical. Be wise as you improve your environment.

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CategoriesGratitudeObserveProgressThink About It

The Big Stuff Is Behind Us

It’s easy to find something to complain about. There are even times that certain people will go as far as outrage. The big stuff is behind us though. Not that the world can’t be an even better place with a little more tinkering. However, we need some balance to ensure the tinkering doesn’t go too far.

What I mean is this. There is a lot more acceptance between people on the big things. In most of the 37 OECD countries there are few, if any, major rights not available to all people. All races and genders are able to freely vote. People have the right to liberty and freedom of expression and religion.

There is an abundance of opportunity for all people. The majority of people in these countries seem to be fine with where things are at. Yes, there will always be small groups or individuals that feel that the laws and norms don’t quite work for them. The good news is that those people can work towards having things improved for them.

Now, we can still tip into an abyss. However, it is ever less likely to happen. As people continue to get comfortable with improving standards of living, fewer will want to wage wars, riot or remove socially agreed basic human rights.

The big stuff is behind us.

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CategoriesProgressReframe your thoughtsWeight

The Story Of My Life

What do you say about yourself? How do you describe your life in your bio? Make sure the ideas support the best you. The story of my life has got to be put in the best light. Not just for others, but for me! I need to see how well I have done from where I began.

Once you have understood what your story is, you may want to go about improving on it. I don’t mean with just some creative licence though. I mean get a plan together and work towards exciting goals. Write a biography for your life now. Keep it to four sentences or shorter.

Now write a biography of your life in five years from now. What other skills will you have? What exciting achievements will you have accomplished? Now, in order to go from here to there, you will need to make some changes.

You will need to give up the story of your life (the one you have) to create the story of your life (the one you want).

Like old clothes, you need to get rid of them occasionally. Move on from the story of your life. Freshen it up and get ready for new adventures. Focus on the new story you are creating. Visualise. Build it and it will come.

Keep making improvements. That is the story of my life.

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CategoriesGratitudeHealth & FitnessObserveProgressReframe your thoughts

So Much In Common

Divisive is a common word these days. Though I find it a strange word to use. People have so much in common and things will continue to get better.

Most people have the following in common: They would like peace, prosperity, kindness, low or no crime and even good and effective political policies.

Would you like to live in a calm and safe neighbourhood? I think most people would aspire to that. Should children be able to go to school to learn? Hard to imagine too much resistance to that in normal times.

Listening to people on most issues and concerns, they seem to want a similar destination for each topic. There may be some differences as to how best to get there or exactly what the final destination looks like. But there seems to be so much less to argue about. And certainly most of those things are superficial in their nature. Or they require only a minor tweak.

No matter how much some people want to focus on the high drama of negative, angry or inflammatory news reports, I am confident we are in a much better position than any previously seen.

One example of this is that the global average life expectancy in 1900 was 31 and in 2017 it was 72.2. Additionally it is very peaceful and many people’s standards of living are much higher than in 1900.

We have so much in common. Let’s focus on what those things are.

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CategoriesObserveProgressThink About It

Progress, Change Or Improve

People want to change the world. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will improve it. Given the chance to make progress, change or improve yourself, or anything else, which word would you choose?

I used to be an adherent to change. Change was good. It was different to whatever is now. But that may mean worse as well as better, from your perspective or from that of others.

Then I became an ardent fan of progress. Progress was better than change. It sounded like it was at least going in the best direction.

However, I am not sure things that seem like progress always are. Like change, it can seem good to some but can be at the expense of many others.

Knowing what we know now, many things that seemed like progress at the time, may not have turned out like that in the longer run.

Was the machine gun progress over a pistol? Was nuclear power progress? Industrialisation – was that progress? Ask people interested in the planet’s future.

We should aim to improve. Improving suggests making things better, for many. It encapsulates change and progress but also a broad reach that helps most people that are impacted by it. It’s not about a select few, or one political, religious or tribal view.

Progress, change or improve? Aim at improve.

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CategoriesObserveProgressReframe your thoughts

What Is Your Superpower?

Everyone has one. If you don’t know yours, you should have a little think about it. What is your superpower? How do you use it?

Kids tend to know their own superpower and that of the other kids. They know if the are brilliant and lightning quick at solving a Rubik’s Cube, like my son. He knew it because he could time himself. It became more obvious to him as children he didn’t even know would come up to him at school, hand him their cube and ask him to fix it for them. He always did. This was proof that others knew his super power too.

Remember, you can have more than one superpower. For example, Superman had incredible strength, heat vision and flight, to name a few. In contrast, you may not know of any power yet. Sometimes these are revealed at different times in life. It may be more about ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears’. Or perhaps it is a matter of ‘seek and ye shall find’.

One other thing about this, is that your power may be underdeveloped. You will need to work at it, test it and experiment. It will grow stronger and you will be better able to control it as you work at it. You will need to have focus, discipline and persistence.

What is your superpower?

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CategoriesActionGoals, Results & New ThinkingProgress

MTO Goal Setting Technique

Have you ever felt worse for setting a goal and not achieving it? A fantastic way to avoid that is by setting goals using the MTO goal setting technique.

I first read about this MTO technique in a book called, “Double Your Income Doing What You Love” by Canadian author Raymond Aaron.

This is a different way to set goals. It is very useful to both get people started with smaller wins and keep their big goals in front of them. The way to do this is in the name. MTO stands for Minimum, Target and Outrageous.

To use this technique, you start by noting down the goal theme. Then you note down what the Minimum goal is, what your actual Target is and finally what an Outrageous win for you would look like.

So your theme may be to tidy your bedroom. You may seek to clear your bedside table as an easy minimum achievement. Your target goal could be to do the minimum plus clear out all your old clothes. An outrageous goal might be to to do those and get the repairs done on the wall and windows, while also getting new curtains ordered.

So now if you only achieve the easy minimum, you will still feel good about meeting a goal. And you might even crack part of the Outrageous goal.

Time to make the MTO goal setting technique a new habit.

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CategoriesActionProgressTime

Having A Difficult Conversation

These can be tricky. They can also be uncomfortable. Often, though, it needs to be done. Having a difficult conversation can open up the situation. It can also help both sides understand thoughts and positions that they had not been aware of.

Few people relish jumping into a difficult conversation. Though some are more practiced at it than others. By going for it head on, you often get a quicker result and get things moving. This speed can also eliminate a lot of the waiting and over-thinking on both sides.

The waiting is the hardest part.

Tom Petty

In addition, the more of these tough chats you have, the less onerous they can become. You also see how they can be beneficial. Finally, you will also be less hesitant and more proactive when the situation or need arises.

Lean in to these opportunities. Aim for better outcomes each time. Read up on a few different techniques to use and practice them. You will improve and it will get easier.

It is rarely as bad as you anticipate or fear. Often both parties are relieved to have had the discussion. Both will feel more confident in their future, regardless of where it takes them.

Having a difficult conversation is worthwhile. Push through the uncomfortable.

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CategoriesActionProgressTime

Train For Gain

Muscle memory and habits are decent predictors of where we are going and how well we will succeed. Train for gain not simply to pass time. Use your time well.

This is one of the key messages I like to focus on as a coach. When the lads show up for Sunday rugby training, I want them to train like it’s an important game. Yes, it should be fun. But whatever they are practising now will be the best they can do when under pressure from the opposition and the clock in a real match.

If your are training at your best and trying to improve every skill you will gain an advantage. It takes focus and concentration as well as discipline and patience. And the time to improve is when you are training ahead of the matches.

This is true in sport and in all aspects of life. Set a high standard. Add in increasing expectation that you meet and stretch again. Train yourself in excellent use of language, good manners, posture, critical thinking and communication. You can do this daily. Consider it your daily training regime.

It’s not simply to improve on these aspects. But one day it will matter. One day you will need to be at your best. By then, it will be too late to do the training.

So always train for gain. Be ready for the game.

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