I think of all of the TED Talks we've watched this semester, this one was my favorite. The thing that really stuck out to me through this entire talk, was that through Zander's passion for classical music, he was able to excite passion in others.
This realization is HUGE! I feel like this ties into a few other TED talks we've watched. One reason people lack passion, is because they are afraid of failure. If you fail at something you are passionate about, then where do you go? I think the crucial realization here that needs to be made, by me included, is we won't fail if we are truly passionate about a cause or something we are striving to do! Passion is crucial to anything we are going to succeed at, because if I don't care enough about something to love it with everything I have, why on earth would I want to put forth the effort required to not just succeed, but excel at it?
Lastly, the effect of words was a really powerful thought. I know we hear all of the time about how our words hold power, and can make things happen for better or for worse, but I know for me a lot of times I forget that. The idea that I should strive to make what I say be of such a high caliber that it could stand as the last thing I ever said to someone, is so thought provoking.
I know that for me personally, passion is something I have been lacking, not because I don't care, but because I'm afraid to put myself out there. I've been gradually coming to this realization that this is a problem I'm facing, and I have goals and dreams that I haven't pursued because of it. That is something that I want to change!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
3 A's of Awesome
We all hit moments when life seems overwhelming. Neil Pasricha's talk was really eye opening for me. We have been talking about perspective the last few weeks, whether its perspective on mistakes, being wrong, or on things that are going badly in our life. Perspective is a huge key to everything we do. As has been evidenced over the last few weeks of discussion and Tedtalks. It's present in everything we do, and we are the only ones who control our perspective. I know that wasn't the main point of this talk, but in a bigger picture frame of things, that's the common thread I've been noticing. As it has applied to the past discussions we've had as a council, it also applies to this. To the appreciation and awareness of the amazingly great lives we all get to lead, even if they are fraught with individual stresses and worries. I know, it's tough to remember that when we get a 69% on a test, and it's tough to remember when we feel like our friends have changed, or when someone we care about dies. . . but in the end it's important to remember to step back, realize the great thigns we have been given, and appreciate them. All of them. And go on living our lives!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
On Being Wrong
A really interesting point that Kathryn Schulz made was the idea that we understand being wrong in the abstract, but can't apply that concept to the present. It's true, when I think back on things that have happened to me personally, I can say yes I've been wrong before...but I'm not wrong now. That i such a powerful concept. The thing is, the power in being able to admit we are wrong doesn't come from admitting that we have the propensity to be wrong in some hypothetical situation, but by possessing the ability to admit we are wrong in the present, the here and now, because the present is what we live in and where we are when we make things happen. Shulz points out two reasons for our inability to admit our wrongness:
1. We have to admit to being wrong, because it feels awful. It's embarrassing. At least on the first thought. But in reality this happens when we REALIZE we are wrong. But just being wrong, doesn't feel like anything. When we are wrong about something, we are like the Coyote from the Roadrunner cartoons. We are already wrong, but we don't realize it.
2. We learn, culturally, that people who get things wrong are lazy and irresponsible. The only way to succeed in life, is to never be wrong. And we deal with it by becoming perfectionists and overachievers. According to culture, getting something wrong means there's something wrong with us. Trusting too much on the feeling of being on the correct side of anything is dangerous. This feeling is not a good gauge!
The amazing thing is about both of these points, is we have the ability to change them. We can choose to feel stupid, idiotic, and embarrassed about being wrong and therefore avoid the admission, or we can take our attitudes about wrongness and change it from mortification to a realization that this is an opportunity for growth and change.
When we think we are right, we have a feeling that our ideas accurately reflect reality. We explain away those who disagree with us by assuming they are first ignorant, second idiotic, third they know the truth and are deliberately distorting for their own malevolent purposes. The issue, is that it misses the whole point of being human. The miracle of your mind isn't that you can see the world as it is, it's that you can see the world as it isn't. We can remember the past, and think about the future all a little differently. This is also why we get things wrong. And that's what makes life interesting. We love plot twists, and red herrings in fictional stories because it's true to REAL life.
In our work as a council, and as leaders, the ability to admit we are wrong is crucial. The entire reason we have governing bodies and leaders and reform, is because things we have set into place need to be monitored and revised, because sometimes the system that seemed like such a good idea is in fact wrong for the needs of the time and place. Being wrong is scary, but that is something that we need to learn to change in our own mindsets. It's only by being wrong, that we can learn to move forward and find something that works and is right. At the same time, we need to keep in mind that what we consider to be wrong, is not necessarily "wrong". I could in fact be a different way of seeing something, much like the story of the three blind men describing an elephant. Solid and circular, or thin and snakelike? Well, both. The answer all depends on how you look at it.
1. We have to admit to being wrong, because it feels awful. It's embarrassing. At least on the first thought. But in reality this happens when we REALIZE we are wrong. But just being wrong, doesn't feel like anything. When we are wrong about something, we are like the Coyote from the Roadrunner cartoons. We are already wrong, but we don't realize it.
2. We learn, culturally, that people who get things wrong are lazy and irresponsible. The only way to succeed in life, is to never be wrong. And we deal with it by becoming perfectionists and overachievers. According to culture, getting something wrong means there's something wrong with us. Trusting too much on the feeling of being on the correct side of anything is dangerous. This feeling is not a good gauge!
The amazing thing is about both of these points, is we have the ability to change them. We can choose to feel stupid, idiotic, and embarrassed about being wrong and therefore avoid the admission, or we can take our attitudes about wrongness and change it from mortification to a realization that this is an opportunity for growth and change.
When we think we are right, we have a feeling that our ideas accurately reflect reality. We explain away those who disagree with us by assuming they are first ignorant, second idiotic, third they know the truth and are deliberately distorting for their own malevolent purposes. The issue, is that it misses the whole point of being human. The miracle of your mind isn't that you can see the world as it is, it's that you can see the world as it isn't. We can remember the past, and think about the future all a little differently. This is also why we get things wrong. And that's what makes life interesting. We love plot twists, and red herrings in fictional stories because it's true to REAL life.
In our work as a council, and as leaders, the ability to admit we are wrong is crucial. The entire reason we have governing bodies and leaders and reform, is because things we have set into place need to be monitored and revised, because sometimes the system that seemed like such a good idea is in fact wrong for the needs of the time and place. Being wrong is scary, but that is something that we need to learn to change in our own mindsets. It's only by being wrong, that we can learn to move forward and find something that works and is right. At the same time, we need to keep in mind that what we consider to be wrong, is not necessarily "wrong". I could in fact be a different way of seeing something, much like the story of the three blind men describing an elephant. Solid and circular, or thin and snakelike? Well, both. The answer all depends on how you look at it.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Fringe Benefits of Failure
Failure is something we all fear. The idea that we put our hearts and efforts into accomplishing something, and then fall short is one of the most dreaded feelings in the world. JK Rowling's talk was a really important talk for me personally to hear. I fear failing, and honestly, I think that this fear of failing often leads to my failure in putting all my effort into tasks, that way I always have an excuse if I do fail. But I have come to see that by doing this, I am already failing; failing to grow, failing to learn, failing to reach my full potential.
JK Rowling said that "Failure is a means for stripping away the inessential." When we fail, we direct all our energies to what is really important to us. When we hit rock bottom, it can become the bottom foundation on which to begin building something great. It is all in how we look at the situation. In HCSC, we may fail. We may try to put together an event that is a total flop, but in the end it is merely a part of the growing process. A growing pain, if you will. It is impossible to live without failing at something. Every single person who has ever lived, and ever accomplished greatly, has failed at something at some point. What will set us apart in the end is what we do with that failure. We have one of two options:
1. Feel badly for ourselves, and live in fear of failure for the rest of our lives
or
2. Use the failure as a springboard to our next great achievement or moment
While it seems easy in theory, I'm sure it's very hard in practice. But hey, since when was practice ever easy, right? It's the hard things that make us stronger. It's all about how we respond. I challenge everyone, including myself, to let go of the fear of failure, and put ourselves totally into whatever project we are undertaking. Only in doing this can we ever have the hope of reaching greatness.
JK Rowling said that "Failure is a means for stripping away the inessential." When we fail, we direct all our energies to what is really important to us. When we hit rock bottom, it can become the bottom foundation on which to begin building something great. It is all in how we look at the situation. In HCSC, we may fail. We may try to put together an event that is a total flop, but in the end it is merely a part of the growing process. A growing pain, if you will. It is impossible to live without failing at something. Every single person who has ever lived, and ever accomplished greatly, has failed at something at some point. What will set us apart in the end is what we do with that failure. We have one of two options:
1. Feel badly for ourselves, and live in fear of failure for the rest of our lives
or
2. Use the failure as a springboard to our next great achievement or moment
While it seems easy in theory, I'm sure it's very hard in practice. But hey, since when was practice ever easy, right? It's the hard things that make us stronger. It's all about how we respond. I challenge everyone, including myself, to let go of the fear of failure, and put ourselves totally into whatever project we are undertaking. Only in doing this can we ever have the hope of reaching greatness.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
How Leaders Inspire Action
Simon Sinek talked about this concept of "the Golden Circle", and why companies like apple or men like Martin Luther King Jr. stand our from the crowd as excellent. Why is it that they succeeded where others failed?
The major point that Sinek hit on over and over again was that "People won't buy/buy into what they do, they buy why you do it." If you are trying to do some thing just because you want fame, riches, etc no one will be interested in you, your work, or your cause. What ever cause we have and try to accomplish needs to be rooted into some sort of belief. This ties into our work at the Humanities Student Council because we need to know why we are working towards the goals that we are trying to accomplish in order for any of them to succeed. If we want people to follow, we need to inspire. This sounds like a lofty calling especially for a student council, I know. But it's something we need to figure out how to do in order to lead and succeed.
"The majority will not try something unless someone else tries it first." They do these things for themselves, because they wanted to be first. People do things that prove what they believe. To be a leader, we can't be afraid to be innovators. Trying something first is scary. No doubt about that. But as leaders we have to take risks, safe risks, planned risks, but risks nonetheless.
The major point that Sinek hit on over and over again was that "People won't buy/buy into what they do, they buy why you do it." If you are trying to do some thing just because you want fame, riches, etc no one will be interested in you, your work, or your cause. What ever cause we have and try to accomplish needs to be rooted into some sort of belief. This ties into our work at the Humanities Student Council because we need to know why we are working towards the goals that we are trying to accomplish in order for any of them to succeed. If we want people to follow, we need to inspire. This sounds like a lofty calling especially for a student council, I know. But it's something we need to figure out how to do in order to lead and succeed.
"The majority will not try something unless someone else tries it first." They do these things for themselves, because they wanted to be first. People do things that prove what they believe. To be a leader, we can't be afraid to be innovators. Trying something first is scary. No doubt about that. But as leaders we have to take risks, safe risks, planned risks, but risks nonetheless.
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