Motives for learning

'Ideally', Jerome Bruner writes, interest in the material to be learned is the best stimulus to learning, rather than such external goals as grades or later competitive advantage' (ibid.: 14). In an age of increasing spectatorship, 'motives for learning must be kept from going passive... they must be based as much as possible upon the arousal of interest in what there is be learned, and they must be kept broad and diverse in expression' (ibid.: 80).

Source:
http://infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm

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Employees Are Full of Feedback

March 13, 2010 6:10:00 PM
TD Editorial Staff
ASTD.org

If you have a suggestion to make in the workplace, do you make it or do you keep your mouth shut? Many people take advantage of their right to express themselves.

Fifty-seven percent of employees say they regularly make suggestions in the workplace, according to a survey by Right Management. In fact, 27 percent of employees report that they make more than 20 suggestions per year. Another 30 percent made at least 10 suggestions per year. Only 6 percent made no suggestions at all.

The poll, which was conducted on LinkedIn and included 614 participants from all over North America, found that the most vocal employees are those in management and C-level executives.

Other interesting findings were that number of suggestions does not vary by company size and sales people were the most likely to make suggestions at 50 percent followed by those in HR at 28 percent. In addition, workers ages 55 and over were more likely to make 10 or more suggestions at 76 percent as compared to their colleagues ages 25 to 34 at 51 percent. Women, at 61 percent, were also likely to make 10 or more suggestions as compared to men, at 46 percent.

"Our findings suggest a surprising number of employees go the extra mile by making suggestions in the workplace," says Deborah Schroeder-Saulnier, senior vice president of global solutions at Right Management. "At the same time, however, in our experience there is little evidence that companies really listen to employee suggestions—or, more important, try to benefit from their perspective and enthusiasm."

She advises that companies should not only listen to their employees, but make sure their ideas are acknowledged and acted upon.

Businesses need to remember that communication is a two-way street.

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Do Not Fret

Even the saintly were hated. Just do good work.

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The Disappearing Career Discussion

March 29, 2010 10:33:00 AM
TD Editorial Staff
ASTD.org

According to a recent survey by Right Management, more than one-third of all employees (37 percent) never discuss their career development with their managers and another 30 percent have that discussion just once a year.

Why are employees so hesitant to talk about their career aspirations with their managers? Is it because they are too busy to think about their future or do they lack the skills to ask the right questions?

Although individuals should take the responsibility to manage their own careers, managers should reach out to employees to discussion career objectives because that is a key step in keeping employees engaged in the workplace.

Are your managers equipped with the skills to discuss an employee's strengths, growth opportunities, and developmental needs? If not, do you have a strategy for how to teach those skills to your organization's managers?

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Education is life

The notion of learning through life is hardly new, as a glance at Plato's Republic reveals. However, with the development of a self-consciously 'adult education' came the view that education should be lifelong. In what Waller (1956: 22) describes as a report without parallel, the Adult Education Committee of the British Ministry of Reconstruction concluded:

(A)dult education must not be regarded as a luxury for a few exceptional persons here and there, nor as a thing which concerns only a short span of early manhood, but that adult education is a permanent national necessity, an inseparable aspect of citizenship, and therefore should be both universal and lifelong. (1919: 55)

Infed.org
http://infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-life.htm

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paralysis

To demand perfection is to deny your ordinary and universal humanity, as though you would be better off without it.

-Bayles (Art & Fear)

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mirror

We have meet the enemy and he is us.

-Pogo

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fast and slow

The artist's life is frustrating not because the passage is slow, but because he imagines it to be fast.

-Bayles (Art and Fear)

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Reality of things

Vision is always ahead of execution.

-Bayles

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Be

Be your own light.

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no shame

No shame in being wrong. Better to live with conviction and err than to flounder about in doubt.

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thought...

Life is a series of commitments.

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...

Our time eventually must end. Do work of a quality that will allow you to transcend. Make the intention.

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Acceptance

It's easy to accept responsibility when things are good. Accepting your role when things are not good is a different story. Learning to do this. Can't say I have this perfected. No change can happen until this occurs.

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reflection in action

In each instance, the practitioner allows himself to experience surprise, puzzlement, or confusion in a situation which he finds uncertain or unique. He reflects on the phenomena before him, and on the prior understandings which have been implicit in his behavior. He carries out an experiment which serves to generate both a new understanding of the phenomena and a change in the situation.... He does not keep means and ends separate, but defines them interactively as he frames a problematic situation. He does not separate thinking from doing... Because his experimenting is a kind of action, implementation is built into his inquiry. (Schön 1983: 69)

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earn it

Competency is the foundation upon which authenticity stands.

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clarity

Journaling challenges people to explain their world with a deep clarity. Having a clear vision contibutes to goal attainment. Painting the picture with emotion is essential. Emotion clarifies the priority level of a goal. Logical decision-making is about navigating through competing priorities.

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with feeling...

Emotions are how we make sense of the world. The under current of logic are emotions. Journaling activities that make use of intellectual reflection and emotional discourse perhaps holds the greatest potential for personal growth.

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realest thing i ever wrote...

Back to reality tomorrow. Great insights were attained from the residency. Most important was the need to be authentic. For me this realness keeps a person from being swept away by the tides of fad and fashion. Living a life of coviction is a path requiring courage. James Baldwin once said to be commited is to be in danger. This resonates with me. I would add that a person living a life of authencity will be required to believe in their path and in themselves even when no one else does.
Authenticity demands a person to proactively act in accordance with his or her values, without compromise.

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a challenge...

I was challenged to find my authentic voice. Dr. Lobell's lecture was stirring requiring action on my part. It is not enough to simply go through life fitting in and adhering to the images we are supposed to be. Even the "rebel" can be an image...what I find is needed is to reflect on who we are and commit to living it.

Authenticity requires a vigilant self-awareness and the courage to stand alone. Being ever willing to sacrifice convienience for conviction.

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reflection

My research is about human reflection and if this activity cultivates a deeper level of human angency. Early findings would indicate that it does. There is a power that comes about as result of reflecting upon goals,actions and ones emotions. The act of journaling offers one avenue to assess the assumptions and pardigms which govern our lives. What happens to us is a result of how we think and what we think. Often times this thought process is invisible to us unless we reflect upon these things.

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teach

Walking through the Phoenix art museum. The art of Ansel Adams moves me to dream. The life of an artist and educator reminds me of the importance of emersing oneself in the path. This is true for any discipline.

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do it...

Learn to sacrifice. Without the willingness to do this there is no strength.

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Today was a good day....

So much better to open up and spend time with friends. You cannot embrace the world by yourself.

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Silence

We are held equally accountable by our moments of silence as we are by our words. Inappropriate silence degrades your light.....

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Rough

Retreating from discomfort accomplishes little. The pang of boundary walls will again force you to confront that which bars your growth. No delusion should exist that you can somehow avoid overcoming your limitations.

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Examination

I have become more aware of the fact that our habits are the bricks and mortar of our lives. We can't change until our habits do. This process may feel uncomfortable as we get to the work of reprogramming behavioral patterns.

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Today

Today was the first day of my doctoral program's third year residency. I was struck by discourse that occured. We discussed leadership and the challenges one faces in maintaining a balanced perspective. This can only occur through reflective action.

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Reflection on Purpose


Purpose is a crucial component of success, for it permeates every activity a person engages in. Even the mundane tasks a person must engage in are ascribed a compelling importance to a person who believes in a purpose. I was watching Fox Sports Arizona the other day and it was highlighting University of Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller. I was impressed by his approach to coaching and building a successful program.


The thing that stood out to me the most was his definite sense of purpose. The clarity Sean had was impressive. It is clear that belief in your purpose cannot be something luke-warm. It is not something that can be intellectualized with cold calculation. Purpose…for it to be a force of compelling transformation must be charged with emotional energy. An energy strong enough to transcend the barriers of doubt, fear, fatigue, opposition, etc.

Un
Into the Maelstrom!

Until one is willing to step out into the uncertain reality, supported only by the dogged strength of one's will and courage…

Until one is willing to brave the tumultuous tides of life's temperamental disposition…

 Until one is just as willing to live with defeat as one is with victory….

ONe Will Not be Free

For freedom requires something much deeper than acknowledging current conditions and circumstance…

Freedom requires the determination to transcend them…

You are bigger than that

You are not what befalls you…

Me We

-Ali

Power of the Written Word

I am sitting at my favorite café, reggae dub mixes pulsating through my head phones. I find it easier to write listening to its slow, melodic grooves as opposed to lyric laden melodies. Anyway I have been doing a bit of reflection since I made a brief change in my dissertation focus. My area of investigation will be the written word and the connection this has on a learners' overall academic success.

For the past few days I have been researching the power of journaling. As a person who enjoys poetry and prose I have always had an appreciation about the power of words. I have viewed this activity from the perspective of the writer's message and the power contained in the words. The influence of the written word on the reader is fascinating. However what is the impact of the written word on the author?

This monumental question was accentuated by the deep rumbling drums of King Tubby

"Come Down Me Selecta!"

Alright then…so I have never viewed writing as being a transformative process for the author. My research has really challenged my thinking on this issue. Interesting thing is that it seems the power behind writing is in the reflection. The act of composing a piece of literary work challenges a person to think about his or her lived experiences. Thinking and writing about the experiences in our lives, actively engages our minds, challenging us to make concrete assessments about how we feel about our lived realities and the influence it has on us.

This process tends to make writing a cathartic release as internal questions and existential concerns are given voice. This does not happen as frequently as one might think. This reflective process is important as submerged under the surface of our conscious thought; life experiences form the subjective reality which dictates the direction of our lives.

For me this investigation will allow me to understand the role writing has in academic success. However from a much broader context this investigation will allow me to understand the role writing plays in human empowerment. This is an incredibly broad and grandiose aspiration, yet I say….."Why Not?" LOL

I am tired…time to hit the gym and recharge a bit. I have a long process ahead of me.

Freedom is Found....

"No man is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own personal initiative." Napoleon Hill

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The Use of Assessments in Online Learning Environments

Technology has provided opportunities for online assessment to be more learner-centered to promote self-directed learning, and to increase learner autonomy. Practicing “assessment for learning” can cultivate student ownership, and will impact effort and achievement eventually.

Full article:
http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=9&n=7

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A Christmas Run

…Of Sweat and Will

On Christmas I ran. The Phoenix streets looked hallowed and silent making for a perfect setting for contemplation.

As I made my way through the downtown roads the asphalt under my feet thumped like a metronome. My breath was guided by the rhythm of the beat as the panorama of the world morphed in and out of my awareness.

 The physical exertion reminded me of my humanity, though fragile in nature is made formidable by strength of will. As one mile became two

and two miles became three I thought about the role challenge plays in the cultivation of human will. Without adversity what would serve as the molding force allowing us the ability to harden our resolve?

Adversity takes us to the brink of our abilities, revealing dormant talents. The low thuds began to make their way back into my awareness, as I continued my trek through the beautiful Arizona day.




                                                                                                                           [regiadams.com]

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Change Strategies

I am studying Argyris (1978) strategy of organizational intervention and wonder if the process can be applied to cirmumstances like a mentor working with a mentee? It would be interesting to see if this strategy can help individuals change their behavior by identifying problem areas.

The strategy focuses on understanding the paradigms that people establish their actions upon. Point of note is that not all paradigms we give voice to are the ones we actually align our actions with. The excerpt below outlines the 6 Step intervention strategy.


According to Argyris and Schön (1978: 220-1) involves the ‘interventionist’ in moving through six phases of work:

Phase 1

Mapping the problem as clients see it. This includes the factors and relationships that define the problem, and the relationship with the living systems of the organization.

Phase 2

The internalization of the map by clients. Through inquiry and confrontation the interventionists work with clients to develop a map for which clients can accept responsibility. However, it also needs to be comprehensive.

Phase 3

Test the model. This involves looking at what ‘testable predictions’ can be derived from the map – and looking to practice and history to see if the predictions stand up. If they do not, the map has to be modified.

Phase 4

Invent solutions to the problem and simulate them to explore their possible impact.

Phase 5

Produce the intervention.

Phase 6

Study the impact. This allows for the correction of errors as well as generating knowledge for future designs. If things work well under the conditions specified by the model, then the map is not disconfirmed.

By running through this sequence and attending to key criteria suggested by Model II, it is argued, organizational development is possible. The process entails looking for the maximum participation of clients, minimizing the risks of candid participation, starting where people want to begin (often with instrumental problems), and designing methods so that they value rationality and honesty.

Reference:

Smith, M. K. (2001) 'Chris Argyris: theories of action, double-loop learning and organizational learning', the encyclopedia of informal education, www.infed.org/thinkers/argyris.htm. Last update: September 07, 2009

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Mindful Expression

Embrace the Experience

There is beauty in the engagement, in the struggle, in the essence of the very thing itself. The true rewards are in the pageantry of the thing itself. Victory and defeat are traitors; do not let them rob you of your art.





Excerpt from: A Chinese Kid Named Santiago

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Power of Discipline

DISCIPLINE is Soul of a Business, Family, Army, TEAM. It makes small numbers Formidable, procures Success to Weak, and gives Esteem to All.

-Bill Stewart

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Kindness

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

-Plato

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Power of Belief

If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning."

-Mahatma Gandhi


You know this quote really struck me as it I think reflects the courage and determination found within people. True belief does not have to be based upon current capacity, but rather one’s capacity to believe in oneself. I can’t help but think of Common’s song The People where the MC states that “No one believed me till I believed me”. I think this statement truly embraces the spirit of Gandhi’s words. Faith in oneself like a magnet will draw people, resources and even talents to one’s aid.

Lack of belief in one’s ability to exercise control over the conditions in one’s life is a paralyzing state. It’s a strange thing to feel overwhelmed as if trying to survive in a land Giants and Monsters. This feeling I think is tied to placing an overemphasis on the “what is” rather than the “what can be”. The “what can be” mindset allows a person to grow into the challenge. Like a bruising running back that seems to get stronger as the opposition intensifies, so to does a person grow more powerful and skillful with each challenge that is overcome.

Belief is what allows for this transformation to occur. The knowledge that one will continue to grow and that a potential solution is just around the corner sets the stage for these things to be recognized when they arrive.

Belief in oneself challenges a person to seek solutions in the midst of bleak situations rather than succumbing to them. It has to be stated that I wish achieving a state of belief was as easy a feat as writing the mere words upon a page, unfortunately it’s not. Personal experience advises that its one of the most difficult things a person can do. It is a task that requires intelligence, fortitude and an ever evolving emotional maturity.

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Love Redefined

Love is not just the sentimental fuzzy emotion that leaves us googly eyed and awe struck. Love is powerful, love is catalytic. Love propels even the most timid spirits to heights of courage ascribed to legends. What is it that you love?

[The Power of People]

Acceptance and the Path of Destiny

The beautiful countenance of purpose and reason embrace the path of

journeymen engaged in the work of constructing life. The pain is that

of birth, the weathering of "be coming's" storm, the clasping of

evolution's coattail; bravely enduring the whirlwind.

 

Excerpt: A Chinese Kid Named Santiago

Stay True

Do what you are.

The slipping of purpose makes moments worthless.

As pieces of self, sink into obscurity.

Maturity is found in the warrior's ways.

Stoke the blaze in one's heart.

Be true to you.

Walk the rhythm found within your chest.

For the best, rests in this sacred space.

Star Spangled

Beautiful thing I'll make you sing in the deepest of night till dawn's early light. For gleam of the chrome had shown bright, from the barrel of the pen friend of the wise and revolutionary alike...

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The Highest Meditation

The highest meditation is the relationship we build with others. Harmonize with life.

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Internal Drive

"We can let circumstances rule us or we can take charge and rule our lives from within." Earl Nightingale

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The Little Things

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.

- Vincent van Gogh

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Marathon Man

The pace of excellence is a marathon long in duration yet far reaching in its impact

Keep intact the passion that fuels change

Let not the steady dance of time and circumstance circumvent the good one oft might get

If only one where to commit and remain resolute though out the entirety of the pursuit

For to stand undeterred even when one's doubts are stirred is the key to success…

Transform the self

We see that if there is to be any real change in the world - and there must be a real change - then you and I as individuals will have to transform ourselves. Unless there is a radical change in each one of us, life becomes an endless imitation, ultimately leading to boredom, frustration, and hopelessness.

J. Krishnamurti

Collected Works, Vol. XI - 172

[The Power of People]

The Attitude of Gratitude

The silence was almost piercing in my hotel room. I sat composing this thought in the path of a rapidly approaching dawn. Yet strangely enough, fatigue did not overtake my senses. My thoughts ran wild as I contemplated this and that, mostly however I deliberated upon the topic of gratitude. It amazed me how people with so much against them can still find the strength to push on and conversely for others even the smallest of inconveniences can send their worlds into a tailspin. It is truly a perplexing phenomenon; however, I am not without clues as to why this happens. My most significant clue is the role that gratitude plays in how life's circumstances impact a person's life.

It has often seemed to me to be a bit cliché to think that our mindsets control our prospects. A poetic way to say this inspired by your favorite self-help book (pick one any one) is "what we think the world to be, we will surely see". Over the past few months, I have come to appreciate this viewpoint and I believe that this outlook hinges on the attitude of gratitude. If a person even in the depths of difficulty and trouble can still identify the blessings that are in his or her possession one's mind is allowed to be focused on those blessings. Our strength resides in our blessings, whether they are skills that we have, or a roof over our heads, a supportive family. In creating a better life for ourselves, we can only do that from a position of strength.

Whatever we have to be thankful for we must acknowledge it through gratitude so that we can create a solid foundation from which to stand. The drawbacks of life never disappear we just do not allow them to monopolize our awareness. Our focus is like prime real estate; reserved only for constructive and positive thoughts. Thoughts, which allow us to build the life, we truly desire should be at the forefront of our minds.

[The Power of People]

Dealing With Fear

what the world needs is human beings who are free, who are creative, who have no fear. And most of us are ridden with fear. If you can go profoundly into fear and really understand it, you will come out with innocency, so that your mind is clear. That is what we need, and that is why it is very important to understand how to look at a fact, how to look at your fear. That is the whole problem - not how to get rid of fear, not how to be courageous, not what to do about fear, but to be fully with the fact.

J. Krishnamurti
The Collected Works, Vol. XI - 349

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Attention and Seriousness

Are you anything in yourself? Strip yourself of your name, title, money, position, your little capacity to write a book and be flattered - and what are you? So why not realize and be that?

You see, we have an image of what it is to be nothing, and we don't like that image; but the actual fact of being nothing, when you have no image, may be entirely different. And it is entirely different. It is not a state that can be realized in terms of being nothing or of being something. It is entirely different when there is no image of yourself.

And to have no image of yourself demands tremendous attention, tremendous seriousness. It is only the attentive, the serious, that live, not the people who have images of themselves.

-Krishnamurti

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Humanity

Theories & goals of education don't matter a whit if you don't consider your students to be human beings.
-Lou Ann Walker

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Trying to be something else

The very awareness of what is is a liberative process. So long as we are unaware of what we are and are trying to become something else, so long will there be distortion and pain. The very awareness of what I am brings about transformation and the freedom of understanding.

J. Krishnamurti
The Collected Works, Vol. IV - 75

[The Power of People]

Love What You Are Studying

The what is is what you are, not what you would like to be; it is not the ideal because the ideal is fictitious, but it is actually what you are doing, thinking, and feeling from moment to moment. What is is the actual, and to understand the actual requires awareness, a very alert, swift mind. But if we begin to condemn what is, if we begin to blame or resist it, then we shall not understand its movement. If I want to understand somebody, I cannot condemn him - I must observe, study him. I must love the very thing I am studying.

J Krishnamurti

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Do the Hard Things

As I have been contemplating the struggles that all of us go through in life, I am reminded of this powerful quote by Albert E. N. Gray:

“The successful person has the habit of doing things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”

-Dr. Stephen Covey

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Silence is the Real Dance

My dance is all motion without, all silence within. As much as I love to make music, it’s the unheard music that never dies. And silence is my real dance, though it never moves.

-Michael Jackson

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Constant Vigilance

The legendary swordsman Miyamoto Mushashi often spoke of courage brought about by one's convictions. Living by the courage of one's convictions also includes respecting one's mission and purpose. Lack of fidelity to one's path manifests in weaknesses of will such as apathy and complacency. Perhaps constant vigilance is the only way to address this challenge...

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Is it possible to look at the problem comprehensively, wholly?

The more we think over a problem, the more we investigate, analyse, and discuss it, the more complex it becomes. So is it possible to look at the problem comprehensively, wholly? How is this possible? Because that, it seems to me, is our major difficulty. Our problems are being multiplied - there is imminent danger of war, there is every kind of disturbance in our relationships - and how can we understand all that comprehensively, as a whole? Obviously, it can be solved only when we can look at it as a whole - not in compartments, not divided. When is that possible? Surely, it is only possible when the process of thinking - which has its source in the 'me', the self, in the background of tradition, of conditioning, of prejudice, of hope, of despair - has come to an end. Can we understand this self, not by analysing, but by seeing the thing as it is, being aware of it as a fact and not as a theory - not seeking to dissolve the self in order to achieve a result but seeing the a
ctivity of the self, the 'me', constantly in action? Can we look at it, without any movement to destroy or to encourage? That is the problem, is it not? If, in each one of us, the centre of the 'me' is non-existent, with its desire for power, position, authority, continuance, self-preservation, surely our problems will come to an end.

-J. Krishnamurti

The First and Last Freedom - 112

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Midnight Meditations

Meditating upon the fact that maybe the expert label is a bit limiting. This designation is based upon the assumption that one knows, in a definitive unchanging sense. Life is far from this but rather is ever changing. Perhaps it's more empowering to think of oneself as an earnest seeker, constantly evolving and growing. This alignment would entail much less preassure to uphold a shallow image.

[The Power of People]

Walk the Talk

It's been a long week. I find myself faced with the challenge of designing multiple leadership development programs. It's funny how what I am teaching and researching will help me achieve this large task. Doctor heal thyself...

[The Power of People]

Let Go

When things don't seem to go my way, I let go of my idea of how they should be, trusting that I may not be aware of the big picture.

-Deepak Chopra

[The Power of People]

What Does One Know

A man who says 'I know' is the most destructive human being because he really does not know. What does he know? So when you are conscious you are transformed, when you are aware that you are transformed, you are not.

-Krishnamurti
The Collected Works, Vol. VIII - 5

[The Power of People]

What is Experience

Experience nearly always forms a hardened centre in the mind, as the self, which is a deteriorating factor. Most of us are seeking experience. We may be tired of the worldly experiences of fame, notoriety, wealth, sex, and so on, but we all want greater, wider experience of some kind, especially those of us who are attempting to reach a so-called spiritual state. Being tired of worldly things, we want a more extensive, a wider, deeper experience; and to arrive at such an experience, we suppress, we control, we dominate ourselves, hoping thereby to achieve a full realization of God, or what you will. We think the pursuit of experience is the right way of life in order to attain greater vision, and I question whether that is so. Does this search for experience, which is really a demand for greater, fuller sensation, lead to reality? Or is it a factor which cripples the mind?

-Krishnamurti

Jkrishnamurti.org
The Collected Works, Vol. X - 16

[The Power of People]

First Things First

Finished reading Covey's First Things First. What I found interesting is the connection of one's values to one's strategy of time management. Somewhat intuitive, but it is often the simple things that are the most profound.

[The Power of People]

Meditation is Inquiry

As human beings we are all capable of inquiry, of discovery, and this whole process is meditation. Meditation is inquiry into the very being of the meditator. You cannot meditate without self-knowledge, without being aware of the ways of your own mind, from the superficial responses to the most complex subtleties of thought. I am sure it is not really difficult to know, to be aware of oneself, but it is difficult for most of us because we are so afraid to inquire, to grope, to search out. Our fear is not of the unknown, but of letting go of the known. It is only when the mind allows the known to fade away that there is complete freedom from the known, and only then is it possible for the new impulse to come into being.

-Krishnamurti

The Collected Works, Vol. X - 255

[The Power of People]

Presence

Put down your pad and pen and simply be the poem.

-Saul Williams

[The Power of People]

The Courage to Be Intimate

It’s curious what takes courage and what doesn’t. When I step out on stage in front of thousands of people, I don’t feel that I’m being brave. It takes much more courage to express true feelings to one person. When I think of courage, I think of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz. He was always running away from danger. He often cried and shook with fear. But he was also sharing his real feelings with those he loved, even though he didn’t always like those feelings. That takes real courage, the courage to be intimate. Expressing your feelings is not the same as falling apart in front of someone else, it’s being accepting and true to your own heart, whatever it may say. When you have the courage to be intimate, you know who you are, and you’re willing to let others see that. It’s scary, because you feel so vulnerable, so open to rejection. But without self-acceptance, the other kind of courage, the kind heroes show in movies, seems hollow. In spite of the risks, the courage to be honest and intimate opens the way to self discovery. It offers what we all want, the promise of love.

-Michael Jackson

[The Power of People]

Ceaseless Inquiry

You will have to find out for yourself, and that requires enormous investigation, hard work - much harder work than earning a livelihood, which is mere routine. It requires astonishing vigilance, constant watchfulness, a ceaseless inquiry into every movement of thought. And the moment you begin to inquire into the process of thinking, which is to isolate each thought and think it through to the end, you will see how arduous it is; it is not a lazy man's pleasure. And it is essential to do this because it is only the mind that has emptied itself of all its old recognitions, its old distractions, its conflicts and self-contradictions - it is only such a mind that has the new, the creative impulse of reality. The mind then creates its own action; it brings into being a different activity altogether, without which mere social reform, however necessary, however beneficial, cannot possibly bring about a peaceful and happy world.

-Krishnamurti

The Collected Works, Vol. X - 255

[The Power of People]

Without any desire for reward or fear of punishment

Now, is it possible for the mind to free itself of the observer, of the watcher, of the experiencer, without any motive? Obviously, if there is a motive, that very motive is the essence of the 'me', of the experiencer. Can you forget yourself entirely without any compulsion, without any desire for reward or fear of punishment, just forget yourself? I do not know if you have tried it. Has such a thought even occurred to you, has it ever come to your mind? And when such a thought does arise, you immediately say, 'If I forget myself, how can I live in this world where everybody is struggling to push me aside and get ahead?' To have a right answer to that question you must first know how to live without the 'me', without the experiencer, without the self-centred activity, which is the creator of sorrow, the very essence of confusion and misery. So is it possible, while living in this world with all its complex relationships, with all its travail, to abandon oneself completely and
be free of the things which go to make up the 'me'?

-Krishnamurti

The Collected Works, Vol. X - 254

[The Power of People]

Beyond the Chart and Graph

As we embark on our paths seeking excellence in our chosen crafts may we be aware of the bigger picture. I read a quote by Albert Einstein in Jim Tressel's book " The Winners Manual" that has really challenged my thinking.

"Concern for man and his fate must form the chief interest of all technical endeavours...Never forget that in the midst of your diagrams and equations".

In the midst of lectures, daily routines and conjecture I strive to keep this insight a foundation of my outlook. Though flawed and incomplete, one's attempts to realize this end is met with generous dividend. The value is in the struggle.

[The Power of People]

Fearlessness

The more you are willing to experience
all that life brings- facing it without
running, blaming or avoiding in any way,the more fearless and free you become.

-Yogi Says

[The Power of People]

Be Your Own Light

But what is necessary, surely, is to find out whether the mind that is the result of the past, the mind that is confused, disturbed, groping, seeking - whether such a mind can learn without turning to a guru, whether it can undertake the journey on which there is no guide. Because it is possible to go on this journey only when there is the light which comes through the understanding of yourself, and that light cannot be given to you by another; no Master, no guru can give it to you, nor will you find it in the Gita or in any other book. You have to find that light within yourself, which means that you must inquire into yourself, and this inquiry is hard work. No one can lead you, no one can teach you how to inquire into yourself. One can poi
nt out that such inquiry is essential, but the actual process of inquiring must begin with your own self-observation.

-Krishnamurti
The Collected Works, Vol. X - 254

[The Power of People]

Football and Emotions

Watching the Arizona Cardinals and Steelers pre-season game I admired the steadfastness of the star players. These athletes never appeared to be rattled, facing challenging circumstances with poise. What is the source of this attribute? I think perhaps emotional intelligence plays a substantial role. Does a star athlete interprete emotional cues differently than the mediocre?

[The Power of People]

Liberating

One should always question the status quo seeking to define knowledge for oneself, rather than blindly enslaving oneself to the interpretations of others" (Adams, 2007, pg. 7). If education is to be, truly liberating one must cultivate the ability to think for oneself. The post-modern paradigm urges scholars to think outside of one's perceived way or discipline and embrace strategies from a multitude of sources. As no one, holds a monopoly on the truth one's actions should offer no such confirmation of this assumptions validity.

Reference:

Adams, R. (2007). Social Contexts and Contemporary Issues. Paper

Mind It

I was driving home from my morning workout and for some reason a concept of Ayn Rand's popped into my mind. It was her belief that the human mind and the ability to think is what seperates us from every other creation.

Essentially if a person does not use their mind they are turning their backs on their gift. In a sense such a person embraces death as it is the mind that has allowed humankind to survive.

Some heavy stuff for early in the morning but it made me contemplatve the rest of the day...

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Questions

Does a person have a moral obligation to be themselves? Does authenticity even matter?

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Krishnamurti on Self-exploration

Not according to any idea, pattern, or teacher

We do not see the importance, the significance, of exploring ourselves directly, not according to any idea, pattern, or teacher. The necessity of understanding ourselves is perceived only when we see that without self-knowledge there can be no basis for thought, for action, for feeling; but self-knowledge is not the outcome of the desire to achieve an end.

If we begin to inquire into the process of self-knowledge through fear, through resistance, through authority, or with the desire to gain a result, we shall have what we desire, but it will not be the understanding of the self and the ways of the self.

You may place the self at any level, calling it the higher self or the lower self, but it is still the process of thinking; and if the thinker is not understood, obviously his thinking is a process of escape.

The Collected Works, Vol. VI - 206

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human behavior

I have been researching human persistence and the achievement of goals. The largest indicator of a person's ability to do this is his or her mental models.

What internal framework of rules and regulations governs the person's behavior? Paradigms and ethical models are the bricks and mortar of this behavior programming. Understand this and one can understand large portions of human behavior.

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Get It

It's not so much a matter of what you need, but rather do you maximize what you already have?

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What is Man?

What is man?

Man is that force which ultimately cancels all tyrants and gods. He is the force of evidence.

-Albert Camus

A Passing Thought: A Need for Ethics?

Without ethics, life may look very much like Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, "nasty, short and brutish" (The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, 2009). Ethics serve as the framework for which behaviors are based. Ethics could perhaps be defined as a habit or disposition-guiding humankind's actions (Beckner, 2004). This framework allows for the collaboration and the functioning of societies as a whole. Without an ethical platform from which actions and behaviors can be coordinated a virtual "war against all" (The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, 2009) may ensue. No mechanism would exist to regulate interpersonal misunderstandings and human engagement.

The unseen benefit of not having a binding ethos from which societies operate is that it would allow for unbridled creativity and divergent viewpoints to emerge. Viewpoints, which are often suppressed, as they do not conform to the prevailing modes of thought. Where do you stand on the issue?

 

Reference:

Beckner, W. (2004). Ethics for educational leaders. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes( 2009). Retrieved July 12, 2009 from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents.html

 

Adversity

Face adversity promptly and without flinching, and you will reduce its impact. Never run from anything and never ever quit.

-Winston Churchill

Power of the Pen…

With the swiftness of blades slashing through like wintery winds, the pen caresses the page and wages war against non-existence.

It will be more.

The shore of destiny's dream can be found between the margins and the seam.

A slow stream of consciousness can turn imagination into a torrential downpour.

Even more, it ignites the minds of those beat down by time, chance and unfavorable circumstance.

The pen can bend conditions to suit one's need or greed.

Whatever reality one wishes to feed.

Mills End

Spent a few hours at Mills End coffee shop, my usual spot was a bit crowded. This Saturday is a beautiful one. As I gazed out the large, glass windows a world of human activity was underway. People coming and going on the light rails, families were strolling down the street enjoying the day in sun. The town of Tempe was almost festive in its vibe. The passing of life's moments engaged in the act of living how perfect that was, life un-conceptualized, unbounded by ideas of what it is supposed to be. Life was just life, expressing itself through the activity of its being. Perhaps there exists a degree of wisdom in this.

The Strength of One’s Convictions

It is 10:51 on a beautiful Phoenix night. I sat on my patio thinking about a book I read entitled the Five Rings; this book was written by the legendary Samurai Miyamoto Musashi. A passage stood out to me from this warrior's treatise, which emphasized the importance of living by the strength of one's convictions. "The strengths of one's convictions", these words resonated continuously with me as I pondered their importance. I contemplated the meaning of conviction and it settled upon me that this concept essentially forms the guidelines by which one lives his or her life.

Taken to a deeper level, one's convictions influence the manner in which one views the world. The perception one has of life and reality is guided by the governing rules of one's conviction. Paradigms are molded by conviction. If one were to change their convictions, one will in essence change their paradigms. Questions worth noting are how does one come to adopt certain convictions and not others as well as what mechanisms reinforce deeply held conviction. I crave ice cream so as I indulge my sweet tooth I will contemplate these remaining questions on another night…

The Power of Conviction

Today was a busy day, comprised of interviews and prepping for upcoming leadership development programs. A thought that I could not help but contemplate through the day was that leadership is based significantly on the willingness of a person to live by the strength of one's convictions. Paying mere lip service to this reality is entirely different from living its precepts. The mettle required to tie one's success in life to one's fortitude of will appears to be substantial, however not an impossible goal. Now the question is how does one go about getting this done?

Cultivating Resilience
Challenging curriculum and educational strategies nurture the seed of resilience within learners. Cultivating environments which require learners to think in critical ways provides them a solid foundation from which to address life’s challenges. Problem based learning (PBL) is a powerful tool in an educator’s arsenal.

Excerpt from: The Power of We

You have not ended your sorrow, and you want to find enlightenment.

You can sit in the right posture with your back straight, breathing correctly, do pranayama and all the rest of it for the next ten thousand years, and you will be nowhere near perceiving what truth is, because you have not understood yourself at all, the way you think, the way you live. You have not ended your sorrow, and you want to find enlightenment. You can do all kinds of twists and turns with your body and this seems to fascinate people, because they feel it is going to give some power, some prestige. Now, all these powers are like candles in the sun; they are like candle light when the brilliant sun is shining.

Krishnamurti in India 1970-71 - 55

The Brink of Knowledge and Learning

Tranquil cords drip endlessly from fingertips caressing passionate strings of heartfelt sentiments, condiments of the soul. Foretold moments of majesty between valleys of melancholy, it is folly to believe that an escape lies in wait. For more is in store beyond what we might call the brink sink not into an endless abyss, but link to all that exists in time. Sublime destinies are one in the same, one in the vein. Beyond perception's veil, she sets sail upon the stream of intuition and feeling, struggling to understand this thing called life. She reveres its majesty yet she knows she is more…beyond the shore of infinity's embrace; she sets pace with the pristine and the timeless….

Can one not exist with the other?...

Can one find peace in the midst of discomfort? Is it possible to find a state of joy in the center of pain? Does the presence of one mean the nullification of the other? The mature mind may be the one which views the two realities as coexistant and embracing them both as such.

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To understand one habit is to open the door to understanding the whole machinery of habit

So, I must first understand the futility of resistance or effort in breaking a habit. If that is clear, what happens? I become aware of the habit - fully aware of it. If I smoke, I observe myself doing it. I am aware of putting my hand in my pocket, bringing out the cigarettes, drawing one from the package, tapping it on my thumbnail or other hard surface, putting it in my mouth, lighting it, extinguishing the match, and puffing. I am aware of every movement, of every gesture, without condemning or justifying the habit, without saying it is right or wrong, without thinking, 'How dreadful, I must be free of it,' and so on.

I am aware without choice, step by step, as I smoke. You try it next time, that is, if you want to break the habit. And in understanding and breaking one habit, however superficial, you can go into the whole enormous problem of habit: habit of thought, habit of feeling, the habit of imitation - and the habit of hungering to be something, for this too is a ha bit. When you fight a habit, you give life to that habit, and then the fighting becomes another habit, in which most of us are caught.

We only know resistance, which has become a habit. All our thinking is habitual, but to understand one habit is to open the door to understanding the whole machinery of habit. You find out where habit is necessary, as in speech, and where habit is completely corruptive.

Krishnamurti Collected Works, Vol. XIII - 204

The Germ of Defeat

The mature mind knows that the germ of defeat lies in every selfish thought.

-Charles Haanel

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Train the mind by training the body

It is midnight I am still up……

My body still aches from the jog I went on previously in the day. As I ran, my mind thought about the conditioning regiments athletes put themselves through. These regimens are often discussed as not only a conditioning of the body but of the mind as well. The fact that rigorous training builds mental toughness is almost axiomatic in the sports realm. The ancient Samurai Musashi identified that the reason warriors are fierce is because their training is fierce.

In the education realm, we would call this "toughness", persistence. Persistence is a person's ability to identify and see a task through to its completion. Many factors come into play when identifying people with high levels of persistence. One major factor contributing to persistence is an individual's level of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is one's perceived ability to control the direction their lives take. A person with a high level of efficacy will persist longer through adversity than someone with a low level of efficacy. Physical training can help to increase a person's perceived level of self-efficacy as people gain much of their perceptions about efficacy through the interpretation of physical stimuli. Training one's ability to manage, control and interpret physical stimuli through exercise will in turn influence one's ability to enhance perceived levels of agency.

Old Habits

Old behavior patterns die hard. Best to redefine how you engage life's situations through the adjustment of your mindset. Assess the perspective you have about your histoy. Also assess the traditions you hold dear and the symbolism you integrate into your life. Are these things in line with your desired path? All three elements will help you transform your circumstance.

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A State of Mind

I sat in contemplation today thinking about the role mindset plays in how we interact with the world.

A mindset of ownership and responsibility will yield different behaviors, than a mindset of one trying to get by in a world created by others.

Change the mindset and you change the behavior. The trick is that all of your habits and routines must reflect the new state of mind. Habits are the indicators and reinforcers of our current internal condition.

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Emotional resilience is a necessary component of success. Emotional resiliency allows one to learn from mistakes and adjust the approach. It is an overriding belief in success that turns obstructions in the road, into building blocks to future success. A true leader is well aware of the fact that the difficult in not synonymous with the impossible.

Excerpt from: Way of the E-lightened Mind

When you are aware that you are transformed, you are not.

A man who says, 'I know' is the most destructive human being because he really does not know. What does he know? So, when you are conscious you are transformed, when you are aware that you are transformed, you are not.
-Krishnamurti, Collected Works, Vol. VIII - 5

Microphone Check….

On a napkin she entices life into rhythmic forms and swarms of conceptualized feeling.

The ceiling, of which she has yet to find, intertwined within the fibers of dead trees bleed emotion.

Oceans of each would not even capture a blink of the most high so with the passion of many she fruitlessly tries to reflect but a piece of what will never cease not even within the immensity of time.

She sits at the bar contemplating coffee creations and whatever else happens to come to mind.

She primes the mind on instrumental renditions of hip hop greats and so she strives to capture infinity in just one take.

For the sake of art and for art's sake, she captures the moment with a taste of sweet words.

Dig it…

Because I feel what is what.

And I do what is and what.

Could I see that reality is only what I perceive it to be?

In the pitter of pattered beats I run towards ecstasy towards dreams towards me.