duminică, 13 noiembrie 2016

Seth's Blog : Education is the answer

It almost doesn't matter what the question is, really. Everyone is an independent actor, now more than ever, with access to information, to tools, to the leverage to make a difference. Instead of being a cog merely waiting for instructions,...

Education is the answer

It almost doesn't matter what the question is, really.

Everyone is an independent actor, now more than ever, with access to information, to tools, to the leverage to make a difference.

Instead of being a cog merely waiting for instructions, we get to make decisions and take action based on what we know and what we believe.

Change what you know, change what you believe, and you change the actions. Learn to see, to understand, to have patience, and you learn to be the kind of person who can make a difference.

Formal education is a foundation, but lifelong, informal education can transform our lives.

And informal education scales. It spreads more easily than ever before. Educated people create other educated people. The standards go up when education is present, because the cost of being the least educated person in your tribe is high.

Ignorance, on the other hand, can spread as well. When the cultural dynamic in your circle is that ignorance is prized, it will pull others down and lead to more ignorance.

We can learn techniques, sure, but also empathy, curiosity and patience.

Arguing is futile, because arguing presumes that we can use force of will to change minds. And force begets force. Education, on the other hand, involves enrollment, and volunteers in search of answers can learn quickly.

The path forward, it seems, is to connect. To earn enrollment in having others join you in a journey of education. If you can teach something, find someone who will benefit and teach them. And if you can connect and make education accessible, it creates a new standard for the people you care about.

[Heads up: The last day for early-bird discount tickets to my only-time-this-year live seminar in NY is tomorrow. I hope you can join us... we're gathering the tribe for a much needed chance to connect in person. It will be eye-opening, affirming and perhaps game-changing for those who can join us.]

       

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sâmbătă, 12 noiembrie 2016

Seth's Blog : Hang in there

Is there anything more difficult? Showing up day after day, week after week, sometimes for years, as your movement slowly gains steam, as your organization hits speed bumps, as the news goes from bad to worse... Showing up, it turns...

Hang in there

Is there anything more difficult?

Showing up day after day, week after week, sometimes for years, as your movement slowly gains steam, as your organization hits speed bumps, as the news goes from bad to worse...

Showing up, it turns out, is the hardest part of making a difference.

Make a list of the organizations and voices and movements that have made a difference. How old are they? How long have they been at it?

Creating impact, building something of substance, changing the culture... this is the work of a lifetime, not merely a fun project.

It's not easy, but I have a feeling you're up for it. Because it matters.

       

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vineri, 11 noiembrie 2016

Seth's Blog : What do you see?

Fill in the missing number: π, 1, __, 3, 11, 15, 13, 17 Some people, when confronted with an artificial problem like this, simply throw up their hands. It's a trick, it's a waste of time, there's really no value...

What do you see?

Fill in the missing number:

π, 1, __, 3, 11, 15, 13, 17

Some people, when confronted with an artificial problem like this, simply throw up their hands. It's a trick, it's a waste of time, there's really no value in it.

Some people look for the quick insight, the fact that there's an irrational number, that the string doesn't go on forever, etc. But they usually get stuck.

Some people are only interested in the answer, and are eager to argue that it should be zero, not four, while others would point out that zero isn't necessarily a natural number, and on and on, merely as a way from hiding from the entire point of the lesson.

The real lesson happens once we realize the metaphor that's available to each of us: Things don't need to be artificial to be puzzles. In fact, if you're willing to be disappointed in your search for the right answer, just about every situation is a puzzle, a place where an insight might be found.

Artificial puzzles like this one generally guarantee a right answer exists. The challenge of the natural puzzle is that you eagerly accept that maybe, there's no good solution.

If you don't like the puzzle you've got, pick a different one. We're never going to run out of puzzles.

Our human interactions, the scarcity around us, the opportunities we all have—they're puzzles. They are invitations to find a new way to do something, a beneficial shortcut, a connection in an economy based on connections.

But first, you have to see.

[PS time to start planning for Thanksgiving.]

       

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