How we speak to ourselves affect how good we are at doing things. Who is more likely to hit a home-run? The person who tells himself "I'm going to hit that ball out of the park" or the person who tells himself "I'm probably going to miss it again"?
Last year, I started drawing again and while my physical skills did improve - how I speak to myself when I draw is what changed the most. My self-talk went from "I can't draw" to "I can draw". Practice helped change how I talk to myself when I pick up a pencil.
Here's the thing; I don't draw as good on days that I feel negative about myself and it's not because my physical skill suddenly went out the window, it's because of how I speak to myself.
The person who's confident will get good at a new skill faster than the person who's not confident.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
What Are We Teaching The Next Generation?
"Children are closer to the original potential we were born with. Until we become programmed to believe what we cannot do, as children we are still willing to believe in what we can." -Shad Helmstetter
Nobody is born a racist - kids are thought to be racist by their parents, or close association, and these beliefs can last a lifetime to then be passed on to the next generation. Will it ever end?
"Almost everybody is born a genius and buried an idiot."-Charles Bukowski
Obviously, this doesn't only apply to racial beliefs. There are plenty of bad habits we pass on without knowing it and it's our responsibility to identify and fix them. Are you a good example for the next generation?
Nobody is born a racist - kids are thought to be racist by their parents, or close association, and these beliefs can last a lifetime to then be passed on to the next generation. Will it ever end?
"Almost everybody is born a genius and buried an idiot."-Charles Bukowski
Obviously, this doesn't only apply to racial beliefs. There are plenty of bad habits we pass on without knowing it and it's our responsibility to identify and fix them. Are you a good example for the next generation?
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
A Lifetime of Weakness
"I think we never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public." -Chuck Goetschel
As a kid, I used to think that adults were invincible. That I could tell them anything and it wouldn't hurt their feelings and that once I get to that age, I would be the same.
“When you’re young; you learn. When you get older; you understand.” -Unknown
As you get older, you realize that you're just the same as when you were a kid. We still have fears, we still get hurt, we still feel like we want to cry ... what changed? Obviously, the body did and we do know more about life, and hopefully take responsibility over our actions, but it surely is different than how I envisioned it as a kid.
---
Revision Wednesday (on a Tuesday)
Blog post originally created on June 7, 2011 and can be found here.
As a kid, I used to think that adults were invincible. That I could tell them anything and it wouldn't hurt their feelings and that once I get to that age, I would be the same.
“When you’re young; you learn. When you get older; you understand.” -Unknown
As you get older, you realize that you're just the same as when you were a kid. We still have fears, we still get hurt, we still feel like we want to cry ... what changed? Obviously, the body did and we do know more about life, and hopefully take responsibility over our actions, but it surely is different than how I envisioned it as a kid.
---
Revision Wednesday (on a Tuesday)
Blog post originally created on June 7, 2011 and can be found here.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Average
Average, Middle-class, Normal... call it what you want but what it really means is being controlled by a system and not being good nor bad at it.
"When I thought I was learning to live, I was learning to die." -Leonardo Da Vinci
What is the system?
The system is a set of beliefs they influence you to follow - so much so that you loose your individuality to become a carbon copy of what is considered appropriate for the system in place.
Can I beat the system?
No, you can't beat the system but you don't really want that anyway. What you really want to do is either master it or create your own.
Ok... so how do I do that?
"The brain simply believes what you tell it the most." -Shad Helmstetter
The person you listen to the most is in control of your thoughts. If you want to master, or create a system, what you'll first need is creativity. Creativity comes from within - how can you think creatively, or have original ideas, if you're a carbon copy of somebody else? Your ideas are not your own until you stop people from dictating your thoughts and start listening to yourself.
Finding yourself, your individuality, your own ideas, will help you figure out ways to succeed within a system or create a successful system of your own. Given that, of course, you have the courage to follow through on your ideas but that's another topic for another day.
*This post can also be found on Men 2.0
Friday, May 1, 2015
What Is Creativity?
"You don't get more creative ideas by trying to think more creatively, you get them by acting more creatively." -Roy Spence
Creativity is like a forest fire in the mind - some people wait until lighting hits a tree for the fire to start while others light up a branch with a lighter until it burns.
Creativity is like a forest fire in the mind - some people wait until lighting hits a tree for the fire to start while others light up a branch with a lighter until it burns.