Author: armstrong.wou@gmail.com

Remember using the folded maps we kept tucked in the glovebox?  One would often use a highlighter to mark the trip?  I remember how hard they were to fold and how the creases would wear and begin to tear from continual folding and refolding.  Now, we have GPS.  Don’t get me wrong.  I would be lost without GPS.  (Pun intended!)  But, there is something lost in the move from paper maps to Mapquest to GPS.

I loved using my Garmin when I first got it.  Then, my maps would become outdated and updating was a bit of a hassle.  I upgraded to a smartphone and now have access to any number of apps that will show me the way.  Presently, I prefer Waze.  I type in my destination.  Waze tells me when to turn, how fast I am going (and how fast I should be going), and where there is road construction, stranded vehicles, police, camera cameras (I guess for if I was inclined to run a red light?), etc.  It tells me the best route to my destination and what time I will arrive.  It is great, but we have lost the art of planning.

It seems as though we have carried this into our lives, as well.  We are no longer inclined to plan our trip and welcome the surprises that come along the way.  I see it in my college students.  They arrive at college with the notion someone gave them that they need a college degree; they can borrow money, get grants, and will somehow figure out how to pay for it; they take the courses they are advised to take in a major that sounded interesting; and upon graduation they ask: “Where do I go next.”  Now, I am not knocking my students.  After all, it is the way society is going, after all.  They are just caught in the current.  We are all (mostly) caught in the current.  We just go where life takes us.  We have abandoned maps in favor of GPS and trust it will get us to the right destination.

There is much to be said for returning to maps.  In the days when we used maps, we would sit and plan our trip.  If it was a long trip, we would be on an adventure.  We were at the mercy of detours.  We would eat at restaurants that caught our eye (rather than using an app and looking for how many stars someone we don’t know gives the restaurant).  We would stay at the first hotel with a “vacancy” sign lit.  (My little sister will get mad, but I can’t help but recall her blurting out in the car when she was a few years old: “Sleepy bear is everywhere”—seeing the iconic sleepwalking bear for Travel Lodge.)  We would gamble that we could make it to the next gas station before the tank went empty.  (My 1987 Toyota Tercel could go exactly 440 miles from Long Island to Pittsburgh on a tank of gas.  I know this because I made a detour one trip and thought I could make it just a bit farther to a preferred station.  I coasted into the station.  Adventure!)

In life, it is better that we go forward with a plan—a map for where we want to go.  Undoubtedly, there will be unexpected challenges (opportunities) along the way.  We should be prepared to deal with these on our own and not rely on someone or something telling us where we are supposed to go.  Perhaps, we stop and ask for directions, but we need to make our own decisions.  Life is not a voice on a smartphone telling is to “in 100 feet, turn left”.  Life is looking ahead, planning, anticipating, responding, and adapting to changing circumstances.

Personally, I don’t want to know everything that lies ahead.  I don’t need Waze directing my life.  I have a plan.  I have mapped my route.  Now, I go forward on the adventure that lies ahead.

Carpe momento!

“Two different kinds of joy exist. And they are often easily mistaken for each other. One kind of joy comes from the world outside, and another joy comes from a place inside. The inner joy is completely independent of everything else that happens in life. It is easy to confuse the joy on the inside with the joy that comes from the outside, especially when so many things outside us give us joy.”–Shane Hipps

Like joy, gratitude can come from within or without.  Indeed, one might argue that joy and gratitude are one in the same.

Inner gratitude is independent of what happens to us in life.  Gratitude is a decision one makes.  It is easy to be grateful for the things for which we should be grateful.  That is, it comes more natural for us to express the gratefulness and thanksgiving for that which comes from outside—to be grateful for the good (things) we receive.  Who is not grateful, after all, for a gift, a compliment, good health, friends, etc.?  Inner gratitude allows us to see the good and the opportunity in everything we receive.  It is being grateful for the lost job, the person who cuts you off, the flat tire, …, and the difficulties, etc. that we face.

To consistently experience inner gratitude, we have to understand that there is purpose in everything that happens.  Our lives are infinitely intertwined and, thus, what happens to me affects another and, in turn, another, and another, and so on.  We cannot escape the principle of “six degrees of separation”.  The bible teaches that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).  It does not read “for the good”.  In other words, life is not going to always be smooth sailing.  Bad things happen to good people.  Some very horrific things sometimes happen to people who are undeserving.  Still, good can and does come out of the worst in humanity—if we allow it and if we seek it.

This is not to say that we should jump for joy and be grateful when difficulties arise and horrible things happen.  Of course, there is a time for anger and sorrow.  Inner gratitude allows us to move beyond the pain and allow good to come from it.

Our gratitude must come from within.  If we depend upon the outside world as the source of our gratitude, we can never be happy.  We will, from time to time, experience surges of gratitude, but we will otherwise find cause to be miserable.  Choosing to be grateful, whatever the circumstance, leads to contentment.  It leads to true joy.

Carpe momento!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”—Albert Schweitzer

There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting success in life.  Unfortunately, we are often led to believe success is money, status, and things—what we call “wealth”.  These are great to want and to attain, but our desired success should be more.

There is no paucity of writers, speakers, and success gurus who promote a path to great wealth and success (usually their own).  Fortunately, there are many who do promote a kind of success that comes from personal growth and not investment or “self-help” strategies.  Personal growth success emphasizes what I like to summarize as “be your best today; be better tomorrow”.  I call this “(extra)ordinary success”.  (Extra)ordinary because it emphasizes “ordinary” success—being awesome where you are.

We hear a lot about the top “one-percent” in the U.S.  For some, it is spoken with a certain negativity that one can only attribute to jealousy.  Let’s face it, there will always be a top one-percent (just like there will always be a bottom one-percent.  Perhaps, the bell-curve of wealth distribution could be flatter.  This is left for someone else to discuss.  I just want to look at the implications for where you, the reader, and I are today.  For some, the aspiration for celebrity, power, and wealth may be attainable, but there is only room at the top for a very few.  The statistics on such things as how many young athletes make it to the professional ranks or to the Olympics, the number of small businesses that actually succeed, the lists of top-grossing movie and television actors, etc. should be an indication of how little room there is at the top.  The vast majority of us will live rather ordinary lives—and that should be okay.

Ordinary is not unsuccessful.  Anyone can be (extra)ordinary where they are.  One might see his or her profession as simple and unimportant, but no position is without importance, per se.  If you think your position is insignificant, be significant. Be the best you can be at what you do.  Be outstanding.  In other words, stand out from the crowd.  Be uniquely you and care about what you do.  Love what you do!

I am reminded of a story I heard recently about Richard Montañez, creator of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.  A man of humble (poor) beginnings, he did not have grand aspirations.  Working as a janitor for Frito-Lays, he took to heart the message from the president of the company to “act like an owner”.  When a machine broke on the assembly line and failed to dust the Cheetos with their cheese powder, Richard had an idea.  His idea to spice the Cheetos with chili led him to present the idea before the president of the company that led to the birth of one of Frito-Lays best-selling snack—and Mr. Montañez rising to the position of executive vice president of multicultural sales and community activation for PepsiCo’s North American divisions.  An impressive story about being (extra)ordinary.

Of course, being (extra)ordinary may not lead to an executive position.  It may not lead to promotion or increased salary.  It will, most certainly, lead to a more impactful life.  This, after all, should be our greatest desire—to have the greatest possible positive impact on the lives we touch.

I write this piece midway through my Spring Break between the Winter and Spring terms.  This is always a time of looking back at what I did or did not accomplish in the previous term and looking forward to what I can accomplish in the coming term.  I am one to preach the (extra)ordinary, but as one who feels like he has yet to attain it.  I have big dreams, just like you, the reader.  And I am often frustrated by my perceived lack of “success”. It is easy to give up on our dreams, but we don’t.  We shouldn’t.  In the short-term, however, we need to look at what we do today.  What can I do today to have a positive impact on one, two, three, …, or countless people?  If we seek to do this in the place we find ourselves, we will certainly be (extra)ordinary.  And who knows what being (extra)ordinary might bring?

Carpe momento!

We have a tendency to think that in order to grow ourselves—physically or otherwise—we have to work harder.  We think we have to push ourselves more.  Maybe it is the training montages from the Rocky movies?  Maybe it is parents and coaches?  Study harder.  Train harder.  Do more cardio.  Work longer hours.  Get up earlier and stay up later….  The reality is that growth comes during rest.  Physiologically, our bodies need an appropriate stimulus to grow, but this has to be followed with sleep and proper nutrition.  We are no different in the other areas of personal growth—Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social, as well as Physical.

Being “well-centered” is not only about more time spent working on the five dimensions.  Indeed, we need stimulus for growth.  The physiological principle of overload applies—i.e., in order for a body system (in this case, any dimension of wellness) to grow, it must be stressed to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed.  But, equally important is the principle of recovery—adequate time needs to be allowed for the system to adapt.  In other words, we need to allow time for rest.

Spiritually, we need time for contemplation.  We must allow for prayerful reflection and meditation.  Otherwise, our Spiritual pursuits are just knowledge and words.  Rather, these need to be internalized.

Physically, sleep and a healthy diet are indispensable.  Listen to your body.  I learned in graduate school that physical exercise should cause a “pleasant sense of fatigue”.  That is, you should feel it, but you can’t push the extent of “no pain, no gain”.  Dr. Mike Israetel speaks of “maximal recoverable volume”—the maximal training load from which you can adequately recover by the next training session.

Physically, if you are chronically over-tired, lethargic, aching, and prone to illness, you are probably over-training.  You need sleep.  Sleep is when your body repairs itself and grows.  Physical growth and adaptation comes after training.

Intellectually, as well, your brain needs time to process information.  I learned from some very effective professors in my undergraduate schooling at WVU the importance of sleep in preparing for exams.  I try to share this with my students, but, invariable, some will still insist on pulling the classic “all-nighter”.

The brain, likes the muscles and cardiorespiratory system, needs time to recover and “grow”.  Information needs to be processed and stored in the brain for adequate recall.  I tell my students that the best thing they can do the night before an exam is sleep.  I encourage them to do something relaxing and get to bed early.  During this time, the brain is processing the information.  I always found, as a student, that I would dream about information on the exam.  By morning, I was well-prepared (assuming that I have been studying along the way and attending class).  Our brain continues to function this way even after our formal education ends.  We need to spend time in thoughtful contemplation.  We need to consider what we are learning (if we are to be truly learning).

Emotionally, we need a rest from time to time, as well.  I strive to be positive (though, truthfully, it is a struggle for me).  Sometimes, positivity has to begin with a façade.  Sometimes, we have to force our attitude to shape our attitude.  This takes energy.  We might be able, through journaling, positive self-talk, etc., to start the day with positive momentum, but that movement is likely to be challenged by negative forces throughout the day.  It can be a drain on us to remain Emotionally “well-centered”.  Much like our Physical dimension, there is a certain “maximal recoverable volume” of stress we can handle.  Emotionally, we often need a break.

I often write that the Emotional dimension is the “cornerstone” of well-centered fitness.  It should be apparent here, as our Emotional recovery is largely dependent upon our practices in the other dimensions, as well as the fact that these other dimensions rely on our Emotional well-centeredness.  Sometimes, we just need a break emotionally.  It might be to just scream, cry, or laugh—just letting out what we hold in (at the most appropriate time, of course).  We must allow ourselves to relax our emotions. As well, we must adequately develop the other dimensions in order to have a more controlled emotional response to our circumstances.

We also need to break Socially.  We need alone time.  We need to escape annoying and aggravating people.  We need to just “chill”.  Most importantly, we need to surround ourselves with close friends and family who can give us space.  In other words, we need people who we can pull close when we need them, but who understand that we need them to leave us alone at times.

Clingy, needy people can wear on us.  We should want to help who and when we can, but sometimes we need a break from helping.  Sometimes we just need a break from others.

There are reasons why Judeo-Christian writings teach us to take a Sabbath rest from our work.  Yes, it gives us a break from the physical labor, but it also gives us a break from the people and stresses of our jobs.  We should welcome such a rest.

We also need the social rest from the cares in our personal lives.  “Me time”, date nights, the “15-minute check-in”, family game nights, daddy-daughter (mother-son) dates, and the like are all important to healthy families and relationships.

If you are overload with the stress of work, worries, and/or relationships, take a break!  Better yet, take the break before you become overloaded.  Don’t take too casual of an approach, as our intent is to grow, but allow yourself to be moderately moved from out of your comfort zone and allow for planned rest.

Growth requires both the stimulus (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and/or Social) and recovery.  One’s growth plan should allow for both.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

“With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it don’t seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together.”—Desmond Doss, Hacksaw Ridge

I finally got around to watching Hacksaw Ridge with my family.  What a great movie!  What an even greater story.

I believe myself to be a man of conviction.  Many might call me stubborn.  Some might call me worse.  Few will deny, however, that I stand by my beliefs.  Am I as steadfast in my convictions as Desmond Doss?  I pray I am never so tested.  I would want to be, however.

We are all convicted to some extent.  We should be, at least.  Some may remember the words from the old Aaron Tippen song: “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”  In today’s society, many seem to be standing.  The stand, however, tends to be in opposition to something.  There is quite a difference between standing for and standing against.

The difference between standing for something versus standing against something is a matter of motive.  When we stand against something, we are motivated by our own selfish wants (whether noble or otherwise).  When we stand for something we are motivated Spiritually and Socially.  In other words, we recognize that we are not at the center of the universe and others may not share our convictions and beliefs, but we sincerely want what is best for others.

Consider Desmond Doss’s story.  Here is a man who, for many reasons, was convicted that he should never pick up a gun.  He lived during one of man’s greatest wars and felt called to serve his country.  He chose to serve as an Army medic and refused to carry a weapon.  In his stand, he demanded that the Army allow him to serve in such a capacity.  He could have 1) chosen not to enlist, 2) resigned from the Army under pressure (and no one would have thought the less of him), or 3) he could have trained to use a gun, but never use one in battle.  I think many of us, if we shared his belief, would have been fine with any of these options.  Doss, however, chose to stand, despite criticism and abuse, to serve—unarmed—in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII.   He considered himself a “conscientious cooperator” more so than a conscientious objector.  He understood the magnitude of the conflict with Japan.  He was, however, convicted to save rather than take lives.

There are many lessons that can be taken from this story.  One, that I emphasize here, is that our convictions can serve to unite us or to divide us.  It is a matter of how we live our convictions.  We can let our convictions lead to protest, or we can let our convictions lead to action.  Protests rarely lead to real change.  Action—founded on conviction—always does.  When we stand for something and do so for the good of others before ourselves, great things happen.  Conviction without love is stubbornness.  Stubbornness promotes conflict.  Conflict breeds more conflict.

If we are truly convicted in a set of beliefs, standing for them will change people.  If, instead, we stand in opposition to those who don’t share our set of beliefs, we drive further the wedge between us.  I like the phrase: “conscientious cooperator”.  Imagine if we all took the cooperative approach to our differences….

Carpe momento!

I have been seeing a lot of sponsored posts on social media for “quick workouts”.  Apparently, we don’t have time for exercise, so professionals have come up with brief workouts that promise great results.  First, let me be clear, you get out of any exercise what you put in.  Don’t expect maximal results in minimal time.  Don’t believe that the professional is only doing the 12-minutes or less of exercise they claim is all you need to do.  Now you will get health benefits from so short a bout of exercise, but forget about the body that is promised.

It is true that we can see significant improvement in our physical appearance with a modest investment in time.  What is simply not true is that you can look like a physique competitor with little time invested in exercise.  This said, we can be effective in the use of our exercise time.  If I could offer some tips, I would begin by suggesting that one should invest as much time as one can in daily physical activity without ignoring the more important things in life (note: six-pack abs should top one’s priority list) or the disruption of one’s Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social dimensions.  On top of this, I would suggest the following:

–choose your exercises wisely,

— prioritize your workouts,

— schedule your workout time, and

–add small amounts of physical activity throughout the day.

Choose your exercises wisely.  Get the most out of the available time.  Opportunity costs when exercising.

When lifting weights, favor complex, multi-joint movements over single-joint, isolated exercises.  Choose movements that use the most muscle mass—e.g., squats, bench, etc.  Lift relatively heavy.  Warm-up as necessary, but make sure the bulk of the effort is productive sets—i.e., target muscle growth and strength.

Do supersets (when time is limited).  A superset is when two or more exercises are performed with minimal rest in between.  The rest period is between supersets.  These maximize the use of time without significantly affecting the outcome.  The pairing of exercises is not necessarily important (though this can prompt heated discussion).  I generally select exercises that don’t conflict, only because my priority is time management.  The benefit of supersets is that one can more than double the volume of exercise that can be performed in a workout session.

Opt for the most effective strategy for cardiorespiratory (AKA “cardio”) exercise.  In most cases, one is looking to burn calories, improved maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), or both.  Depending on goals and preferences, there are many options.  Historically, most have gone the long, slow distance route—not the most effective time-wise, though, nonetheless useful.  More recently, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is all the rage—and for good reason.  HIIT can maximize improvements in VO2max and burn more calories in a given period of time.  HIIT is (should be) hard, though, and may not be appropriate for all exercisers (though intensity variation should be relative to fitness and, thus, even the least fit among us can perform intervals).  HIIT is met with some frustrating misrepresentation, however.  I am of the professional opinion that not all of what is labeled “HIIT” is the same.

Among the “quick workouts” that prompted this post are the “HIIT” workouts that are much less than 20 minutes (usually “12-minute” or less) and claim to build muscle, burn fat, and improve VO2max.  These are, now, commonly referred to as “Tabata” after the research done by Dr. Izumi Tabata and colleagues (Tabata et al., 1996).  Tabata et al. examined the effectiveness of a series of eight interval bouts of 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes.  The researchers called this the “IE1 protocol”—which is now just referred to as the “Tabata protocol”.

In the original study, speed-skating athletes using this method trained four times per week, plus another day of steady-state training, and obtained gains similar to a group of athletes who did steady state training (70% VO2max) five times per week. The steady state group had a higher VO2max at the end (from 52 to 57 ml/kg/min), but the Tabata group had started lower and gained more overall (from 48 to 55 ml/kg/min).  Also, only the Tabata group had gained anaerobic capacity benefits. It is important to note that in the original study from 1996, participants were disqualified if they could not keep a steady cycling pace of 85 RPM for the full 20 seconds of work.  It is also important to note that body fat changes were not a focus of the study.

“Tabata training” has now come to refer to a wide variety of HIIT protocols and exercise regimens that may or may not have similar benefits to those found in Tabata’s original study.  An example of this is “burst training.”  Burst training is simply a circuit of (usually) body weight exercises performed in sets with minimal rest and blocks that are separated by slightly longer rest periods.  The challenge I have with such training is that technique tends to break down with fatigue—thus increasing the risk of injury—and, for most exercises, the intensity is not great enough (remember, the Tabata protocol is 170% VO2max).  This is not to say this training is not effective.  It is—particularly for improving body composition.  There is reasonable evident that this type of HIIT has the effect of elevating metabolism (i.e., calorie burn) for many hours post-exercise.  The likelihood of this exercise increasing VO₂max is significantly less.

Prioritize your workouts.  You have specific goals.  These should be emphasized in your workouts.  Do exercise specific to your goals first and spend most of your available time on these.  If, for example, building muscle mass is your priority, spend the bulk of your available exercise time lifting heavy weights.  Keep cardio to the minimum and do it at the end of the workout (in case time runs short).

If scheduling large blocks of time is a challenge, split the workouts up.  Prioritize the most important exercise for when you are less likely to run into conflicts.  For me, I prioritize weights and schedule the majority of these workouts in the morning.  I do cardio and accessory lifting in the afternoons, when I am more likely to be forced to miss a workout.

Schedule your workout time.  Continuing from the preceding paragraph.  It is important to schedule your training sessions.  Block off specific chunks of time and don’t skip workouts.  Plan what you are going to do when you go to the gym and do it!  Don’t waste time.  Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from doing what is planned.  Put it on the daily calendar.  And have a long-term plan for your exercise—i.e., planned progression.

Add small amounts of physical activity throughout the day.  Enough can’t be said for the benefits of adding small amounts of physical activity throughout the day.  This includes: parking farther from the store/work, taking the stairs rather than the elevator or escalator, walking to a colleague’s office rather than e-mailing (not to mention the social benefits that go along with this), walking short trips to the store, post office, etc., and choosing biking or walking over driving.  In addition, the benefits of physical activity are cumulative.  So, cardio doesn’t have to be performed in a single session.

Consider the benefit of parting an extra 100 yards from your destination.  This is 200 yards round-trip.  Do this 365 times—i.e., just once a day—this is a total distance of 73,000 yards (~41.5 miles).  At an approximate rate of 100 kcal per mile, this is 4150 kcal burned.  Assuming 3500 kcal per pound of fat, this is equivalent to about 1.2 lb lost (or not gained) a year.  This doesn’t sound like much, but multiply that over the years of your life and do it more than once a day….  (Consider parking ¼ mile from work: ½ mile of extra physical activity times 250 work days equals about 3.6 lbs.  Get the point?)

So, quick workouts are not so likely to get you to a significant level of achievement.  Physical fitness gains take more effort, not less.  You can be smart with your time, though.  Optimize your physical exercise and activity, and get the most out of your efforts.  Don’t look for quick fixes.  Look for the effective fixes.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Confession time.  I have trouble relaxing.  I always feel like I need to be doing something.  Even when I am “relaxing”, my mind is always racing.  When I have down time, I have a tendency to occupy it with checking e-mail and social media, or playing Spider Solitaire.  It is not easy to free my mind and just reflect and/or meditate.

The other day, a student was telling me about his experience with sensory deprivation—i.e., floatation therapy.  There is a trend of floatation centers opening around the country.  Essentially, it involves floating in salt water that is maintained at body temperature in a pitch-black, sound-proof, pod.  Sounds great!  I can certainly see the potential benefits, but….  The sessions last an hour or more.  They are costly.  And they last an hour or more.  My dilemma is that I don’t allow myself the opportunity to relax.

Friday, my daughter was off from school (Spring Break starts Monday, why not schedule conferences?), my finals week was over, and grades were submitted.  So, I took advantage of the opportunity and took her to see Beauty and the Beast.  We had a long overdue daddy-daughter date—movie, popcorn, and a trip to the frozen yogurt shop after the movie (a challenge, given I am working on losing body fat).  It was a great time.  I got to relax with my sweet little girl!

It was a much-needed break, but now it is Spring Break, and I have to let go of all that I “need” to do and relax.  Why should this be so hard??  Relaxation should come easy.  Unfortunately, we have so conditioned ourselves to always be on the go—always doing something.

It has been a struggle for me to take a simple 15-minute break to “hit the pause button” (Jim Harshaw) and disengage myself in a brief period of prayerful reflection and meditation.  This can be blamed, in part, on my teaching schedule (back-to-back 1:50-minute lectures at 10 and 12 on Tuesdays and Thursdays).  On these days, it is: rush to get the kids off to school, drive and hour+ to campus, get prepped for class, teach, eat lunch at 2 PM, catch up on e-mail, etc., drive home, workout, dinner, sports practices, bed….  Now, there are numerous issues with playing the blame game.  First, the current teaching schedule is only two days out of the week.  Second, there is time in here for a 15-minute pause.  The problem is me!  I have chosen (when I have not paused) to not take the time.  Like much of what I write about, it is a choice.  It is a matter of habit.

I should look forward to relaxing.  I get to hit the pause button often throughout the day.  It is a matter of choosing to do so.  I already start the day with journaling—a practice that is intended to set the course for my day.  I get the opportunity to follow this up with periodic breaks throughout the day.

–My commute is an hour (each way).  Surely, I can turn off the radio for at least 15 minutes and collect my thoughts.  (Though, side note, Siri doesn’t do a great job when I try to record my ideas.)

–I can turn off electronics for 15 minutes (especially when I am eating).

–I can find a quiet place to sit with my eyes closed for 15 minutes.

–etc.

There is always opportunity.  It is only 15 minutes, after all!  I just consciously have to stop.  I get to pause midday to relax my breathing, pray, meditate, listen to my thoughts, focus, and just hit the emotional reset.  The opportunity is there.  The choice is mine.  (And maybe I can spring for a floatation session?)

Carpe momento!

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”—John Dewey

I read an article* recently about the “free college” debate.  Arguments aside, there is a truth to the article, and that is that we do already have free education.  In fact, with the growth of the Internet, education is more freely available than at any time in history.

The article reminds the reader of the line from the movie Good Will Hunting: “You blew 150k on an education you could have gotten in $1.50 in late fees from the library.”  While there is merit in a college education, the most important thing that anyone can take from an education is the desire and ability to learn.

I just finished the Winter term at the university at which I teach.  I love my students, and they are all quite capable.  Unfortunately, it appears to me that, for an increasing number, my courses are merely a checkmark to a diploma.  There seems to be less and less ambition to learn for learning sake.  I don’t fault the students, per se.  Certainly, this is in part due to a system that is increasingly bound to test outcomes and unable to facilitate a hunger for knowledge.  It is sad.  I can only hope that at some point a passion for learning will awaken in all of my students.  We must all hunger to learn.

The “well-centered” individual seeks out knowledge and is deliberate about growth in the Intellectual dimension.  Daily reading is a must!  A dull, unstimulated brain accumulates the neurological equivalent of rust.

We seem to have lost the ability to have intellectual discourse.  We communicate in emojis, abbreviations, and 140 characters.  We don’t talk and debate like we used to.  We are afraid of offending and we are unwilling to allow our beliefs to be challenged.  We bury our faces in smartphones and deny the person next to us the opportunity to really know us.

“Free education” is a great idea.  Thing is, we already have it.  We have a wealth of knowledge available in family, friends, neighbors, teachers, coaches, strangers, and others.  We have more published works than anyone could read in a lifetime.  Books in print.  e-Books.  Audio books.  Movies based on books—are better than nothing.

Remember libraries?  They still exist.  The public library is one of the great American institutions.  With electronics like tablets and iPads, one doesn’t even have to physically go to the library anymore.  One can check out books electronically.  One can carry a wealth of books and journal articles on something as small as one’s phone.  There is really no excuse not to read when we have down time.

In addition to reading, we have great access to information via the Internet and videos.  An increasing number of colleges and universities are making courses available for free.  On top of this the is YouTube, Ted talks, Kahn Academy, edX, and countless more great sources of quality education.

We should never stop learning.  Learning is growing.  Our minds should be open to new information and ideas.  Challenge ideas.  Don’t accept information passively.  Engage.  Question.  Dispute.  Use your brain!!

I love the above quote by John Dewey.  Education is, indeed, “life itself.”  Education should not be a destination.  I, personally, find it ironic that my Ph.D. is considered a “terminal” degree.  It might be the highest attainable letters, but it cannot be the end of my learning—or I fail my students.  If I have learned anything in my schooling, it is that the more I learn, the less I know.  Information is growing exponentially.  I can’t keep up.  The more I try, the more ignorant I become—the more I recognize how little I know.  This is good, because, instead of being intimidated by what I don’t know, I desire to learn all the more.

Wherever you are in your formal education, don’t let it be your end.  Let formal education be your beginning.  Hunger for knowledge.  Share what you learn. (In other words, don’t bury yourself in books.  Learn in community.)  As part of your growth plan, set aside time to read.  In addition, set aside time for face-to-face communication.  And read to your children.  Encourage them to enjoy reading and school.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

*http://www.themilreview.com/social-policy/a-conservative-proposal-for-free-education

“What if the things that offend us actually present a possibility for our growth?”–Shane Hipps

We seem to be so easily offended anymore.  Political correctness.  Safe zones in our colleges.  Politics.  Religion.  The list of potential powder kegs is quite long.  When did this happen?

I like Shane Hipps’ question: “What if the things that offend us actually present a possibility for our growth?”  What if??

Frankly, everything presents an opportunity for growth.  It is all a matter of perspective.  Will we accept the challenge to grow or will we choose to be offended?  Yes.  Being offended is a choice.  It is true that people can be jerks and say things that are intended to be hurtful.  On the other hand, sometimes people say things out of honest ignorance—that don’t realize that what they say can be offensive.  Comments can be intentionally provocative, as well.  I have a few friends who are very good at this.  Whatever the intent of the speaker, we are wholly responsible for our response.

I feel like we have gone too far to protect people’s feelings–not that I believe we should hurt people’s feelings.  My point is that, in doing so, we rob one another the opportunity to grow.  This is particularly important for children.  Protect then as much as we will, our children will have their feelings hurt from time to time.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  (Again, not saying we should encourage children to be mean to one another.)  At some point in life, we need to develop resiliency.  We need to be confident in ourselves.  When one is offended, one can choose to be hurt, or one can choose to ask questions of one’s self and of the offender.  Why does this bother me?  Is there truth to what was said?  Did the offender mean to hurt me?  What are the offender’s motives?  Is there a misunderstanding? Etc.

When we choose not to be offended, we open the possibility for dialog.  We welcome the opportunity to grow.  If there is truth to the offending comment, one has the opportunity to improve one’s self (despite the fact that the offender was, perhaps, disrespectful).

The world is full of jerks and always will be.  Best we can do is not be one.  When we encounter one, find a way to grow.

 

“Scatter your flowers as you go; you will never go this way again.”—Orison Swett Marden

In my occupation, I get to start over every 12 weeks or so—with the start of each new term.  There are advantages and disadvantages to this.  Terms that do not go as well as planned end in due time.  Terms that go very well, however, go very quickly.  I have yet to have a “perfect” term.  In most cases, I become anxious at the end for the term to start again, so I can correct my many mistakes.  (I am never satisfied.  Though I think this is a good thing, as I pursue kaizen.)

One of the biggest disadvantages to working on such short cycles is that I have such a very short time to make an impact on my students.  This could be the only course I have a student.  So, it is my one chance to make a difference.  Even if I might have students for subsequent courses, as I often do, this is my one chance to make the current subject come alive.

I wrote a while back about the goal of leaving “everything in this room.”  This needs to be our attitude every day—albeit, at times, exhausting (though leaving one with a more “pleasant sense of fatigue”).  Scatter your flowers for, as Marden wrote, “you will never go this way again.”  Carpe momento!  There are no do-overs—no Mulligans—in life.  There are countless opportunities—as long as we are alive—to do things better the next time (as we should), but now is not to be taken lightly.

Go forward in each day, grateful for the opportunity, excited to the fresh start, and prepared to give your best effort.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.  Scatter flowers wherever you go.  Sow seeds of greatness in the lives you touch.  Make your mark and move forward.