Tag: change

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education motivation

We Are Still Learning

"I am still learning." Michelangelo

Legend has it that Michelangelo’s last words were “Ancora Imparo,” or “I am still learning.” He uttered them at the age of eighty-seven. Here was a guy that considered himself a sculpture, but painted the Sistine Chapel. He had an amazing amount of talent. Yet he knew in order to stay vital we need to realize that we are still learning.

www.brainyquote.com/s/a_1f234

Whether we like it or not, at every stage of our lives, we are still learning. Our education may be passive or active. We may learn bad habits, what we can get away with and how people disappoint us. Or we may learn new possibilities, solutions to challenges, and a new skill we didn’t know we were capable of.

Active learning involves seeking knowledge. Passive learning is merely observing and reacting to life’s challenges. It is no different than a simple organism reacting to a stimuli. While it is good we learn not to touch a hot stove, if that is all we learn, it leaves a big gap in our education.

Passive learning can make us cynical, bitter, and fearful. When things just happen to us, without active learning, we can be convinced to give up. We just react. And we don’t take any steps to fix the problem or find a new, better way.

But when we take an active interest in our studies, it opens up many possibilities. Disappointments and disasters may come, but we know there is a solution if we keep looking. It reminds me of a proverb.

“Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”

Proverbs 10:14 (KJV)

Active learning helps us find knowledge. And even better, it leads to positive change. We may think our education is over after we graduate from school. But in reality, we continually learn new things. The question is, do we let life and the school of hard knocks educate us, or do we take an active interest in our lifelong education? After all, we are still learning!

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motivation

Everything is in Flux

"All is flux, nothing stays still." Heraclitus

The world is constantly moving. Even the rocks and mountains ebb and flow. Over time, nothing stays the same. This quote from Heraclitus reminds me everything is in a state of flux.

“All is flux, nothing stays still.”

Heraclitus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers

So why do we want things the way they used to be? Is that even possible? Even our memories are in changing. Just ask a friend that was at that same event. Rarely do we all get the story straight. We notice something different a friend doesn’t and vice versa.

What we thought was perfect at one time may not have been perfect for someone else. And what is occurring today is going to be someone’s cherished memories. Yes, even in a pandemic, there are those who will have good memories of it in a few years. Does that mean we want to stay there?

Our task is not to find a moment in time we love and freeze it. Today, our task is to embrace this moment, knowing it will change and soon be a memory.

When things change, find a new melody. We can get creative and find a solution. When we do, it may work for today. But tomorrow, the melody may change. And that’s okay! We can sing a new tune tomorrow.

There was some good in the past. Today has some good in it. And my faith convinces me if tomorrow comes, there will be some good there as well. Let’s enjoy the ride for today.

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motivation

Strategy and Tactics

Strategy and Tactics

The journey many of us take isn’t a smooth one. There will be instances that we cannot control. Anyone who didn’t know this before January 2020 knows it today. The plan we had made likely didn’t account for a worldwide pandemic. But that’s okay. There is a difference between strategy and tactics.

This quote by Jimmy Dean reminds me that plans must be flexible.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean

Jimmy Dean Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jimmy_dean_131287, accessed January 24, 2022.
people riding on white sailboat on body of water
Photo by Quintin Gellar on Pexels.com

Our strategy may be solid. The goals we set out to do may have been worthy and challenging. And depending on how far out we planned, they may still look desirable and attainable. But when the wind changes unexpectedly, how do we adjust and change? There is a difference between strategy and tactics.

Strategy

Strategy is the long-term planning we do to achieve an overall goal. We see a destination and plan how to get there. It could be a business goal, a personal goal, or a life plan. It may be based on values we hold dear. We like what we see and plan how to get there.

Tactics

Tactics are the actions we take to achieve our plans. We may develop an action plan and follow through. But in the middle of it, the winds shift. Perhaps the data we had before is now obsolete. Maybe we are planning for a marathon and we get a blister. Or maybe we plan a move only to discover the job we relied on didn’t pan out.

Tactics are important. But they must be flexible if we are going to achieve our strategy. That can be tough when we were certain our plans would work out.

Adjusting the Sails

Today, our strategy may look good, but the winds of change have shaken us up a bit. I encourage you to consider instead of changing your strategy, consider if the tactics need to be modified. Instead of changing the destination, could it be we just need to adjust the sails a little?

I hope you have smooth sailing. But experience tells me there is always a shift in the wind and weather. Adjust the sails and keep moving forward!

Categories
motivation

Technology is Temporary

Technology is Temporary

Yesterday, the big news was that the classic BlackBerry operating system would no longer be supported. There was a time I would have loved to have a BlackBerry. But I had to settle for a Palm Pilot. Do you remember those? Alas, technology is temporary. What was the hottest thing twenty years ago now looks like unusable junk.

As a result, for technology to be relevant, it must advance. One day, my iPhone will be useless. Unless I keep up, the laptop I’m using today will be a relic tomorrow.

I once did a post on making the best use of technology. I wrote it at about the time the COVID pandemic was in full swing. At the time, I wondered if I would be working remotely and how to handle it. It didn’t happen then but did this week. The virus keeps mutating and we have to adjust. In a sense, technology is like a mutating virus. We either have to adjust or get left behind. Progress is rough, isn’t it?

But if there was no change to face, life would be pretty boring. We need to change and grow or things stagnate. I think of this every time I drive by a neglected farm house. It could be a nice place if someone adjusted and made made improvements long ago. But today, it is rotting away. The house and barn roofs have holes in them. Nobody would want to live there without a total overhaul.

Therefore, we must move on and ditch the BlackBerries. We need to keep growing and adjust to what is coming next. Technology is temporary, much like every other area in life. When we adjust, we grow and improve. But when we resist, we neglect and end up with a bunch of useless junk.

Categories
motivation

Learning Leads to Change

Learning Leads to Change

How do we know if someone really learns something? Learning leads to change. Check out this learning and change quote:

Change is the end result of all true learning.

Leo Buscaglia

If we learn something valuable, but it doesn’t lead to changes in behavior or tactics, have we really learned it? We can learn interesting facts and trivia. But if the only benefit is that it helps us win trivia games, is it true learning?

True learning goes from the head to the heart. It helps us reconsider previous beliefs. It opens our eyes to new possibilities. True learning takes the humility to reconsider if our previous beliefs still serve us well.

Otherwise, if learning something confirms our previous biases, is it really helpful? It can be threatening to learn something new that changes our outlook and actions. But it can be transforming and effective as well.