Categories
motivation

Surfing the Information Tsunami

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

Like many of us, I have a bad case of FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I like to be in the know. After all, if I am going to blog anything, I need to have information, right? If I am going to write about a business trend or positive philosophy, I need to be in the know, right?

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

My wife kids me when I get alerts for Twitter accounts I follow. I get breaking news alerts for the latest doom and gloom news. Occasionally, I need to put my phone on “Do Not Disturb” in order to break my train of thought. Even then, it is too easy for that thought train to derail and spill my brain granules all across the landscape.

In the pre Internet years, we had information gatekeepers in the form of editors and television producers. They sorted through all the junk for the public. Now, anybody with a phone can be an information provider. In one alert, I see news about a homicide, SWAT standoff or traffic travesty. The next moment, I get an alert about twenty surly kittens that will make you laugh your socks off. Even if I was doing nothing at the time, that is quite a whiplash of discordant information!

I know! Just the fact that I am writing a blog contributes to this tsunami. My goal is to contribute positively and be an encouragement in a negative world. Still, Here is one more town crier attempting to make his voice heard above the crowded field.

So here is for myself and for others that are feeling the same information wave overtake them.

  • Take a breath and relax. While there is always something going on in the world, I don’t have to be aware of everything. If it is important, I’ll hear about it sooner or later.
  • I don’t have to be the first one in my circle to hear breaking news. Let someone else have FOMO while I am getting things done.
  • I will be discerning in my information consumption. If I am getting down because of a series of bad news, I need to either get away from the news or find some good, uplifting stories.

FOMO and bad news can affect my productivity. I choose to have more than a Breaking News! perspective.

Categories
motivation

How to AI Proof Your Career

Cartoon of love in the Modern World
It’s just not working out, Rob. You’re love is so... so mechanical!”

A few weeks back, I read an article on CNBC about the threat Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have on white-collar jobs. The article states that we have been so focused on the threat to blue-collar jobs, we haven’t considered that managers, occupational therapists, even accountants and lawyers may be affected.

The dire predictions about artificial intelligence taking jobs have been around for years. It reminds me of an episode of The Twilight Zone from 1964.

“The Brain Center at Whipples” 1964

In the story, the executive eventually finds he too is out of a job. It’s a cautionary tale of mankind being very clever while not very wise. It’s also a reminder if a leader thinks he or she can’t be replaced by the same technology, they are fooling themselves. So how do we keep ourselves from being victims of AI?

The article quotes Anima Anandkumar who proposes a solution we examine if our jobs are repetitive or and involve a large amount of data that can be used to train AI systems. If so, she says to aim for jobs that require use creativity and human intuition.

“This doesn’t necessarily mean an entire career change. For instance, for lawyers and accountants, there are aspects of the job that require human interaction, collaboration, high-level strategy, and creativity. These will be more valuable in future.”

Anima Anandkumar High-paid, well-educated white collar workers will be heavily affected by AI, says new report

Focusing on creativity, human relationships and intuition in a career is the antidote. If any of us are doing repetitive tasks, let’s consider how we can allow bots and computers to do the boring work, and free us up to dream, imagine and work with our fellow humans. A little compassion and wisdom is the key.

Categories
motivation teaching

Teaching to Learn

 

Photo of mountain landscape with the following quote, "When one teaches, two learn." Robert Half

I love this quote from Robert Half because that is essentially why I wanted to make blogging a regular practice. I have learned several lessons as I have taught over the years.

  • The preparation to teach is almost as important as the lesson.
  • If I can’t adequately explain it to someone (especially a nine-year-old), I probably don’t adequately understand it myself.
  • It is okay to veer from a lesson plan. It isn’t the Gospel.
  • All learning needs a little entertainment. If I am boring, I am not really teaching.
  • I can learn much more from teaching elementary than adults.
    • Grown-ups will hide if they are not engaged.
    • I child will have no problem telling me if I am boring
  • No matter how much I know about the subject, there is always something more to learn.
    • New discoveries make learning fun for the teacher and the student.

I am taking a hiatus from teaching elementary kids and I am already missing it. I get so much from teaching and engaging with others. If you have never tried to teach another, I would encourage you to give it a try.

Categories
motivation

Small Actions Make Great Strides

Cartoon of two business people. The business man says, "I like to celebrate the small victories. Today, I didn't spill breakfast on me."

The other day, I listed to the Harvard Business Review Podcast interview James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. Here is a link to the podcast and transcript:

HBR Podcast: The Right Way to Form New Habits

More or less, the author promotes using small actions to create good habits instead of going all gung ho and overwhelming ourselves. It’s celebrating the small actions and victories.

Cartoon of two business people. The business man says, "I like to celebrate the small victories. Today, I didn't spill breakfast on me."

This is a novel approach to goal setting and forming new habits. Too often, I think I have to have a new goal all figured out. But the author suggests starting small habits that enable the big one is the way to go. Do you want to read more books? Start with one page. Do you want to exercise? Pack your workout clothes the night before and have them ready in your car. Do you want to write a book? Start with one sentence… or a short blog article!

Keep striving and finding ways to start those good, new habits. The results will be worth it!

Categories
motivation

A New Year of Risk and Reward

Happy New Year! I am with the camp that says January 1, 2020, is the start of a new decade too. So there is even more reason to celebrate!

Have you made your new year resolutions? No? I’m not one to hype resolutions either. They can be too vague and there just isn’t enough planning involved. However, if you are prey, then I agree with the sheep in my cartoon. He really needs to put his resolution into action, and quickly!

Cartoon of a sheep and a wolf

Instead of making resolutions, I am going to spend the day working out my plan with my wife. We have never been more fired up than now. It is exciting to break out of a routine and dream of what is possible. Yes, we are willing to take risks by faith. After all, we are fooling ourselves if we think there is any risk-free life. I love this quote by General Douglas MacArthur.

There is no security in this life. There is only opportunity.

Douglas MacArthur in Instant Inspiration

Too many of us think we have security. We may not like the way things are, but they are secure. It’s been this way for a few decades, why rock the boat? Just hold on until retirement and endure the current situation. We may not realize that philosophy is just as risky as trying something different.

The reality is we don’t know what the next day will bring. I don’t know what is in store for me. So I might as well dream big, plan, and take some risks. Playing it safe assumes I know exactly what will happen in the future. I don’t. What I think is safe can crumble in an instant. This is coming from a guy who experienced two layoffs in his lifetime. My father took early retirement from a seemingly conservative, stable company rather than experience a layoff. A seemingly stable business can crumble overnight.

Yes, I don’t know what tomorrow may bring. So I might as well, dream, plan and take some risks for the new decade. The reward could be huge.

How about you?