Knowledge Archives - Scott's Thinking

How Well Do You Really Know Someone?

Posted on November 30, 2020

It’s interesting to think about how much you actually know about other people. How well do you really know someone? What constitutes knowledge?

Being involved in a birthday call the other day brought this back to the forefront of my mind. I had been thinking about this a lot recently. On the Zoom call, we got to learn about details of the other people. That can be really interesting.

Often we can be familiar with someone but not really know much about them. You may know what they think about current affairs or favourite holiday destinations. However, do you know where they were born, who taught them how to ride a bike and what their favourite courses were in school and why?

Time is short so we are often discussing other people’s opinions about the news of the day. However, we do not go deep on the person and their life. This can be quite interesting though. Is it better to understand how someone would vote or how they spent their teen years?

Are you aware of all the details of the lives of your friends and family? Perhaps it would be better to find out more while they are alive. Maybe it would be better to talk about their life rather than the news, next time you see them.

How well do you really know someone?

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

Learning While Teaching

Posted on November 13, 2020

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.

Think About It

The Aim Of Knowing Something

Posted on August 29, 2020

I enjoy learning new things. Particularly if it involves why people think a certain way. Recently I’ve been considering the aim of knowing something.

Usually you learn something because it will have utility or an entertainment value. Sometimes we learn something just for the sake of knowing it.

In our youth we must learn many things to form a base knowledge. We learn a language and maths along with history and music. We learn a broad spectrum of things to give us a base information.

Beyond that however, why do we learn things? And are we learning things in an efficient way? What is the aim of knowing something if you won’t use that knowledge to any benefit?

How much of what you learn in a day is provided by an external source? Have you specifically sought to learn about a topic or did it simply happen to be in your newsfeed? Or is it what an editor decided you would see?

Perhaps we should be more selective about what we learn about? If we decided what we wanted to learn about, would we be more effective in our learning?

Think about your day ahead. Are you learning useful things and applying that information to a productive goal? Or are you just drifting through your usual informational smorgasbord and picking up bits and pieces?

Action Reframe your thoughts

Reading For Pleasure Or Knowledge?

Posted on April 13, 2020

What are you reading? Why are you reading it? Reading is an investment in time and yourself. Are you reading for pleasure or knowledge or both? I often find I am reading for both. Though that wasn’t always the case.

When I was 12-ish, I don’t recall reading much outside of school requirements. Contrast that with today where I read a lot. I am a consumer of knowledge and generally useful facts. I read at a decent speed but slower if it is media.

Media influence:

For media, I am constantly questioning the angle and information that they are providing. For example, if a journalist gives the figure in percentage terms, I ask myself why they didn’t provide the raw number, or both. I have the same thought if they only give the raw number.

It’s more exciting reading if the Dow ‘drops 2,000 points’ rather than 6%. It has more impact on people who remember the Dow at 8,000 and know that a 2,000 point fall would be massive. Whereas 6% is rather commonplace in a volatile market.

When shown a graph, why did they chose the start date and end date they did? Does it support their story better? What if you shifted the dates they gave you and selected other dates 10 or 15 years earlier? Would the story they are telling, to influence your thinking, look different if they used different data?

Brain Training:

Be careful what you allow into your mind. Reading is a way to train your brain. Make sure you are consuming healthy, mind-strengthening prose. Make sure it doesn’t just make you feel good or affirm your biases. Ensure it stretches your mind and adds value to your life.

This weekend, I started re-reading ‘The Great Crash, 1929’, by John Kenneth Galbraith (another fine Canadian). I forgot he had such a keen sense of humour and great insight into the human psyche. Given the very sobering topic, he makes it oddly enjoyable to read. It really does remind me that ’it’s all the same, only the names will change’. History does repeat itself, so learn from it.

Have a look at what you are reading. Are you reading for pleasure or knowledge, or both? Shift your focus a little if you want different results.

If you are looking for some useful books on personal finance, personal development or weight loss, send me an email at scott@scottsthinking.com and I would be happy to give you a few of my favourites.