The Power of Full Engagement

-Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

We live in digital time. Our rhythms are rushed, rapid fire and relentless, our days carved up into bits and bytes. We celebrate breadth rather than depth, quick reaction more than considered reflection. We skim across the surface, alighting for a brief moments at dozens of destinations but rarely remaining for long at any one. We race through our lives without pausing to consider who we really want to be or where we really want to go. We’re wired up but we’re melting down.

Most of us are just trying to do the best we can. When demand exceeds our capacity, we begin to make expedient choices that get us through our days and nights, but take a toll over time. We survive on too little sleep, wolf down fast foods on the run, fuel up with coffee and cool down with alcohol and sleeping pills. Faced with relentless demands at work, we become short-tempered and easily distracted. We return home for long days at work feeling exhausted and often experience out families not as a source of joy and renewal, but as one more demand in an already overburdened life.

The next time you are at your local bookstore, check out ”The Power of Full Engagement.” I skimmed through it and it’s all about saving and spending energy more effectively in order to be much more engaged at work and in life. Life is not about controlling time but rather how you spend your time.

Abby & Brittany Hensel turn 16

I found a very interesting video on youtube of conjoined twins. I feel slightly sheltered as 2.8 million people have seen this video but if you are like me and living under a rock, check it out.

Randy Frederick Pausch (Oct 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008)

Randy Pausch, renowned computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.
   
Celebrated in his field for co-founding the pioneering Entertainment Technology Center and for creating the innovative educational software tool known as “Alice,” Pausch earned his greatest worldwide fame for his inspirational “Last Lecture.”

That life-affirming lecture, a call to his students and colleagues to go on without him and do great things, was delivered at Carnegie Mellon on Sept. 18, 2007, a few weeks after Pausch learned he had just months to live. Titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” the humorous and heartfelt talk was videotaped, and unexpectedly spread around the world via the Internet. Tens of millions of people have since viewed video footage of it.
   
Pausch, who had regularly won awards in the field of computer science, spent the final months of his life being lauded in arenas far beyond his specialty. ABC News declared him one of its three “Persons of the Year” for 2007. TIME magazine named him to its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. On thousands of Web sites, people wrote essays about what they had learned from him. His book based on the lecture became a #1 bestseller internationally, translated into 30 languages.

From http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtml

Echolocation in humans?

With my biology and psychology degree I took a few mammalian courses and generated a pretty good understanding of echolocation. A friend of mine sent me a video of a child who is blind. This guy is unreal. Like dolphins, he uses echolocation to navigate himself through life. Check it out.

Alive and Kicking

 

A friend of mine told me to read an article in Sports Illustrated titled “Alive and Kicking.” To be honest, it was a pretty lengthy article but deserved every ounce of space it took up on those pages. If you have a few minutes, take the time to read it. It really puts things in to perspective.

 

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140917/index.htm

 

In a nutshell (you still have to read it), this is a story of a young woman who took a chance. She created a world of opportunity for war refugees from 24 different countries around the world. It all began when she witnessed a group of young boys playing soccer in a concrete parking lot with a beat up old ball and rocks for nets. Many were without shoes and wore left over clothing samples. She saw an opportunity. The next day at the same time and place she went with a brand new soccer ball and asked if she could play. From there she created a team called the Fugees and began on her pathway to greatness!

 

Again, you have to read this article. These two paragraphs give the story absolutely no justice. It’s such a different world we live in and some of the experiences these children have witnessed at such a young age just boggles my mind.

 

“One Fugee had seen his father gunned down by soldiers, another had seen his dad’s fingers sliced off.”

 

“My heart hurts,” the boy told Luma–the truest excuse a Fugee had ever given her.

 

Think about ways you can volunteer your time, maybe not to the same extent that Luma did but try once a week to give something back to your community. As a society we are constantly stressed about life, relationships, employment and the list goes on. Guess what, the stress you place on your life is no bodies fault but your own. Change your life and be who you want to be. Find your passion and do what you love. Don’t be afraid to be happy.

What every student needs to hear.

 

Hate him or love him, Bill Gates says it like it is. Here are 11 things that you will not learn in school.

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

 

Rule 2 : The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

 

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

 

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

 

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

 

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault; so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

 

Rule 7 :  Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

 

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

 

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..

 

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

 

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

I realize this list has been cycling around for a while but I figured it was worth writing about. Do me a favour. Take a minute and think about what it would have been like growing up in the 50’s and 60’s (in 1950 minimum wage was increased to $0.75/hr). It’s a completely different world! I know that my parents had it much worse then I do (or at least it seems that way). Direct comparison: walking up hill both ways knee deep in snow vs. taking the bus or driving your parents car. And a majority of us want to provide our children with the same opportunities that our parents have given us. Does this mean that education is going to parallel these trends continuing to make things easier for young people?

  

In my generation (The Net Generation) there are a huge number of people that have been spoon feed for so many years (if you are 24 and your parents still do your laundry and make your lunches you are spoon fed). Yes, it’s out there and it’s horrible! And no I am not at all jealous. Not to mention the exact same thing happens in the classroom. Why can’t I be taught about a world that I am living in?

 

I understand that experiences count for something but I have been educated for a world that no longer exists. It was expensive, time consuming and not very stimulating. Sure, I got out of the classroom and created a few opportunities for myself but why does all of my learning have to happen outside the classroom? I want to teach a few courses:

 

1) Common Sense 101

2) Real World Living

 

Why is education the way it is? (I know… stupid question) Seriously though, why has education not changed in the last 50 years? Why does everything in school have to be fair? Why do our bosses have to be tougher then our teachers or coaches? I spent 4 years in University and to be perfectly honest what I learned was not worth the price of admission. I was pushed harder on the court in high school then I was in the lecture halls of university. Why? So I could learn to push myself… maybe. As far as I’m concerned, university was the exact same as high school with the similar (20% new) material condensed in to a shorter term. Why?

 

Getting back to the topic at hand, my generation asks me if I think these 11 points are harsh. I think they are real world. However, depending on how you were raised they may seem harsh. The net generation needs to be exposed to this much earlier then we were. Bill Gates introduced these rules to a grade 11 class and I think it’s a perfect age to do so.

Canada’s Fastest Growing Company – Kids & Co.

 

Kids & Co. is all about growth. The “teachers” in its daycare centres, all early childhood education specialists, are committed to the growth and development of their more than 1,000 charges. Founders Victoria Sopik and Jennifer Nashmi are equally committed to the growth of their six-year-old company. Like most proud parents, they delight in their baby’s progress so far — providing accessible, quality daycare for the employees of Canada’s largest companies, and recently venturing out of its Toronto base to establish new centres in London, Ont. and Calgary.

 It’s a remarkable feat for a company that has broken new ground by turning one of the world’s least glamorous businesses into a B-to-B play. But president and CEO Sopik thinks her firm has actually been underachieving. “We’ve never looked at this as a small business,” she says. “Our vision was to build a $50-million company. It’s been slower than we would have liked, but we think we’re Most companies would kill for this kind of underperformance. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2008, Kids & Co. posted sales of $13.7 million, almost twice that of the previous year. The company’s five-year growth rate of 12,639% ranks it No. 1 on this year’s PROFIT 100, but what’s more important is that its biggest growth may lie ahead.

 Of course, that’s the beauty of Sopik’s B-to-B model. When your clients are national organizations such as AGF, BP and CIBC, they become the building blocks that can transform a local business into a national giant. Kids & Co. sells its services as an employee benefit and a key talent-retention tool, which means companies with a national footprint are eager to extend these benefits to their employees across the country. As a result, Sopik expects revenue to double again over the next year as the company “tops up” enrolment at its recently launched centres and opens new ones in Toronto, Halifax, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver, and two more in booming Calgary.

For more information go to: http://www.canadianbusiness.com/

 

The Net Generation… Attn Parents!

 

 

We live in a world of exponential change. Your children will be taking over your jobs very soon (if you’re lucky). However, we need your help. You are our role models. You are our mentors. You too live in a fishbowl and you have no idea how important your actions are on us.

 

I recently read a post titled “Getting beyond Good” (www.joshbcox.wordpress.com) and it reminded me of a few things. First, it reminded me of the best selling novel “Good to Great” and how this novel can be incorporated in to the lives of anyone and everyone, regardless or goals, employment, lifestyle, etc.

 

The second thing it reminded me of was one of my favourites: Wikinomics. There is so much opportunity out there for my generation. I can’t wait!

 

The final thing it reminded me of was my childhood love for Michael Jordan. There was a commercial I saw a while ago for Jumpman23. After watching this commercial (at least 3 times) I thought of the impact Michael Jordan has had on so many lives. Then I thought of the impact we have on each other. We all live in fishbowls and our character is constantly being evaluated by those around us.

 

We need to take the time to meet people. There are so many opportunities out there but so many of us are scared to take them. I remember being scared to go in to the corner store to return a movie, even with money from my parents to by a chocolate bar (of course many, many moons ago). Seriously though, that’s exactly my point. We are scared to try something new. We are afraid of change. We hesitate to make that phone call, send that email, or knock on that door. On a daily basis… challenge yourself. Live through the struggle to achieve greatness. I promise you will live a much more fulfilling life.

 

Parenting 101

 

The more you tell your child they can not or should not do something, the more they want to do it. Although I do not have children I have spent years working with children and young people of all ages and from all sorts of diverse demographics. Here are some thoughts but like Giver Tulley says ”please take this advice with a grain of salt.” 

 

“We live in a world that is subjected to even more stringent child safety regulations. There doesn’t seem to be any limit on how crazy child safety regulations can get. -Gever Tulley

 

As a parent, the best thing you can do for your child is help them explore their curiosity, regardless of their age. Minimize restrictions and allow them to experience different environments. These experiences will ultimately develop creativity and understanding. Parents, you need to appreciate that your children will do what they want to do regardless of what you tell them. Try not to filter their learning but rather educate them about their actions and help them grow. Help them do what they want to do in a safe and supervised environment.

 

 

As a child my parents took me to a family cottage. On the way in, my father sat me on his lap and let me drive along the unpaved road. I used an axe to chop wood and matches to light the fire. I was allowed to do this at a very young age. I felt so empowered, so responsible, and so trusted. And I did not feel like I was being supervised. Don’t worry, my parents drew a very thick line in the sand when I asked if I could drive my cousin’s dirt bike!

 

In this society there are so many child safety regulations. Let your children explore. Learning is apart of life. For me, I had to fall down the stairs before I learned to hang on to the railing. I had to burn myself before I learned specific chemical properties of fire. Remember, a scar always makes for an enlightening story later on in life.

 

I realize that formal education can not parallel the factors Gever Tulley discusses. But when your children come home from school, allow them to explore their interests. Let them take apart old appliances. Give them responsibility. Empower them as individuals. Provide them with the opportunity to build, deconstruct and create. Learn with them.

 

“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” -Michael Jordan