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Upsiders
There is a story told of an old farmer and the series of events that come to pass in his life. His horse runs away. His horse returns…bringing with it a dozen wild horses. His son is thrown while breaking the wild horses injuring his arm. A war breaks out, and his son is exempt from duty because of his broken limb. Back and forth it goes. At each point in the story, the villagers congratulate or console the farmer based on his revised circumstances saying, “oh, how wonderful” or “oh, such terrible news” in turn. And each time, the farmer sagely responds “perhaps”. Like March weather in the Midwest, our life circumstances are often…
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10,000 Hours
In 2008, Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers suggested that anyone can develop world-class expertise at any skill by dedicating 10,000 hours to practicing it. While not all experts agreed with his theory, it does support the age-old adage that practice makes perfect. So, now that we’re considering committing the 10,000 hours, the bigger question is how do we decide that we will practice? You may think, what a minute, I didn’t commit to practicing anything! But consider the idea a little more broadly, where we spend our time is where we are practicing already. To that way of thinking, we are all practicing something. What is it we are choosing to perfect? There…
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Economy of the Heart
“If it doesn’t help, it hurts.” — from a discussion on photographic composition This fundamental economy of expression is true in other mediums as well. More words do not necessarily bring more value to written work. We appreciate Matisse and Picasso for their depth of communication through the use of a single line. This economy has a translation for action, too. How we spend our time matters. Economy of action suggests that right action is exactly enough. Each day we are faced with people and circumstances that demand our attention. We can avoid them temporarily, but they will not be ignored forever. Whether we are faced with an individual or an emotion, if…
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Chaos Theory
Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, you’ve heard of the chaos theory? No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractions? — Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park Entering Barnes and Noble, beyond the familiar fragrance of Veranda Blend and 10′ tall NOOK display, you’ll notice a table of books aimed at helping their readers improve. Regardless of the scope of improvement, personal or professional, most of these books have one thing in common–they involve a plan. Building a home requires a blueprint. Running a project involves a work plan. As students, we were coached on the Five Ps–prior planning prevents poor performance. Having a plan gives us a roadmap for the eventual completion of complex or challenging activity…
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Bloom
Purple crocuses have begun popping up in the yard. The branches of the lilac bushes are laden with buds. It has been raining for 24 hours straight, and signs of spring have sprung up all around us. Bulbs that went in the ground last fall have begun announcing themselves. It will not be long before they are more than hopeful tips of green. Soon they will bloom…where they were planted. This idea of blooming where we’re planted may seem counterintuitive in our consumptive, fast-paced culture. We have been trained to scan the horizon for the next big thing instead of focusing on what’s within our grasp. To that way of thinking, it will…
