Earlier today, I ran across this quote from Paulo Coelho
"If it's still in your mind, it is still worth taking the risk."
It's an interesting thing to think about as it goes against the idea of impulsivity and the desire for "now" that we have imbued in Western Society. Western society wants things right NOW...not later...but NOW.
I've tried to go against this while shopping, or looking at opportunities. Sometimes there is a necessity for immediacy, but very often we need to let something alone, walk away from it and see if it's worth it once we miss it. When I shop, if it costs a fair bit of money I think and mull. If it's still in my head, then I'll generally go for it. If it's not, or it feels wrong, I won't. I'm not the best example of this of course, but I'm not that terrible.
I can be an impulsive person...but I also know that some of the best things in life happen with time, patience, practice, often some pain, to reach a goal that is fantastic. The length of time varies, as does the pain, patience and type of practice.
And often we keep doing the things that are necessary because it's still in our minds and still worth the risk.
But even more often we don't think the small things require thought. Sometimes we think they can be done immediately.
The only problem with that is: what's small to us may be big to someone else.
Smallness is a perceptual issue. After all, I may be 6ft tall. To my friend Bryan, who is 6ft 5, I might be small. To that fly buzzing around in this room right now though, I'm gigantic.
So, by saying "if it's still in your mind" means you did the right thing. You waited. You didn't jump. You thought long term, or at least slightly-longer-than-short-term. Which is great.
And most often we know if something is worth taking the risk.
9 years ago I took a risk in leaving Ohio, coming back to Canada and becoming a teacher. It was a risk, as I was abandoning a 5 year business program that I had completed to get into a line of work that was potentially stressful, lowish paying, and sometimes thankless. But I couldn't get it out of my mind. And it was worth the risk.
Though sometimes it can be the above mentioned things, the joys of teaching become far better. The smiles on children's faces, the joy of a well used classroom. The fantastic mess that kids make when they're really working, the great (and very often funny) conversations we have with them, and the intense rush when you see a child who finally "gets it." I couldn't get teaching out of my mind 9 years ago. I'm glad I couldn't.
And I think this applies to 21C learning as well.
I've noticed that 21C learning tends to one of the most impulsive, short term parts of our classroom environments these days. We see new tools for learning and we try them, don't notice a change immediately and then give up on them almost right away. We often don't stick with them
How do we know they won't work over time? Have we tried them again? Have we given the time to try them again? Or have we gotten something new thrown at us, so it makes it hard to try again.
When we constantly switch like this, kids are thrown for a loop. They don't get the routine, consistency and ability to really try something. And it helps to perpetuate the idea of short term thinking.
One of the best examples of not getting something out of your head and taking a risk to get used to it is googledocs. There was a chance that, when I got proficient with it, it would be lost in the limelight. It would be considered "old." But so far so good. And it's got enough levels and learning in it that it makes it worth it. I've seen amazing things from my kids using many of the tools, programs and applications that googledocs uses. My class blog is an example of this.
So if we encounter a new 21C learning tool, or idea and we can't get it out of our heads, then stick with it. Take a chance that it could become obsolete and see if we can help our kids, and those around us, improve their learning through it.
Take up the challenge, be patient with whatever you're trying to learn or teach the kids to learn.
Learn it
Take the frustrations and annoyance in it
Have Patience with it
Do it
It'll likely be worth it.
"If it's still in your mind, it is still worth taking the risk."
It's an interesting thing to think about as it goes against the idea of impulsivity and the desire for "now" that we have imbued in Western Society. Western society wants things right NOW...not later...but NOW.
I've tried to go against this while shopping, or looking at opportunities. Sometimes there is a necessity for immediacy, but very often we need to let something alone, walk away from it and see if it's worth it once we miss it. When I shop, if it costs a fair bit of money I think and mull. If it's still in my head, then I'll generally go for it. If it's not, or it feels wrong, I won't. I'm not the best example of this of course, but I'm not that terrible.
I can be an impulsive person...but I also know that some of the best things in life happen with time, patience, practice, often some pain, to reach a goal that is fantastic. The length of time varies, as does the pain, patience and type of practice.
And often we keep doing the things that are necessary because it's still in our minds and still worth the risk.
But even more often we don't think the small things require thought. Sometimes we think they can be done immediately.
The only problem with that is: what's small to us may be big to someone else.
Smallness is a perceptual issue. After all, I may be 6ft tall. To my friend Bryan, who is 6ft 5, I might be small. To that fly buzzing around in this room right now though, I'm gigantic.
So, by saying "if it's still in your mind" means you did the right thing. You waited. You didn't jump. You thought long term, or at least slightly-longer-than-short-term. Which is great.
And most often we know if something is worth taking the risk.
9 years ago I took a risk in leaving Ohio, coming back to Canada and becoming a teacher. It was a risk, as I was abandoning a 5 year business program that I had completed to get into a line of work that was potentially stressful, lowish paying, and sometimes thankless. But I couldn't get it out of my mind. And it was worth the risk.
Though sometimes it can be the above mentioned things, the joys of teaching become far better. The smiles on children's faces, the joy of a well used classroom. The fantastic mess that kids make when they're really working, the great (and very often funny) conversations we have with them, and the intense rush when you see a child who finally "gets it." I couldn't get teaching out of my mind 9 years ago. I'm glad I couldn't.
And I think this applies to 21C learning as well.
I've noticed that 21C learning tends to one of the most impulsive, short term parts of our classroom environments these days. We see new tools for learning and we try them, don't notice a change immediately and then give up on them almost right away. We often don't stick with them
How do we know they won't work over time? Have we tried them again? Have we given the time to try them again? Or have we gotten something new thrown at us, so it makes it hard to try again.
When we constantly switch like this, kids are thrown for a loop. They don't get the routine, consistency and ability to really try something. And it helps to perpetuate the idea of short term thinking.
One of the best examples of not getting something out of your head and taking a risk to get used to it is googledocs. There was a chance that, when I got proficient with it, it would be lost in the limelight. It would be considered "old." But so far so good. And it's got enough levels and learning in it that it makes it worth it. I've seen amazing things from my kids using many of the tools, programs and applications that googledocs uses. My class blog is an example of this.
So if we encounter a new 21C learning tool, or idea and we can't get it out of our heads, then stick with it. Take a chance that it could become obsolete and see if we can help our kids, and those around us, improve their learning through it.
Take up the challenge, be patient with whatever you're trying to learn or teach the kids to learn.
Learn it
Take the frustrations and annoyance in it
Have Patience with it
Do it
It'll likely be worth it.
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