Fresh Perspectives

"Coach"

I admire coach John Wooden.  Times may change, but principles never, ever change.  Coach Wooden exemplifies principles.  Check out this TED talk by the coach himself.

Dirty Jobs Guy - Great TED Talk

I was very impressed with this talk.

Panic Button Syndrome

Several weeks ago, I had an overhead patient lift system installed in my home.  The company that provided it gave my son (attendant) and I a one hour training on hooking up the sling and using the lift.  The vendor did an excellent job, and I became comfortable using it with the trainer at the controls.

A few days later, we decided it was time to try it out.   There was only one problem; we failed to remember exactly which loops hooked where.  We took a guess and of course, our guess was wrong.  I was lifted out of my wheelchair, and was sprawled out like an unfolded lawn chair!  When they lowered me onto the bed, I became forced to a lying down position, and we ended up unhooking the sling and forgetting about the whole process.  Pardon the wording, but the episode pissed everyone off!  That day, I was a bit despondent and imagined the worst case scenario; we installed a very expensive system and it doesn't work.  I spent the entire day in that negative mind-set.

It's funny how a night's sleep can change your outlook.  The next day, I remembered the words of Dale Carnegie in How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.
How to Face Trouble:
1.  Ask yourself "what's the worst that could possibly happen,
2.  Prepare to accept the worst,
3.  Try to improve on the worst.

That formula is so simple, yet it's magic when applied.  I changed my mind-set and remembered that I would have a wheelchair seating expert at my house within a week.  When he arrived, I asked him to assist us in hooking the sling, which he gladly did as part of his visit.  Of course, the system worked as intended.  This time, we marked the loops.

As I look back on the situation, I realized that I was bitten by Panic Button Syndrome.  For me anyway, my first reaction is generally to carve out the worst case!  But after reflection, I found out that my first reaction was entirely out of proportion with reality.  I believe many of us have the same tendency. 

So now, I try to remember Carnegie's words and let rational thinking into the process when things go wrong!  Hopefully, I can get a handle on Panic Button Syndrome. 

The Many Faces of Advocacy

Ad.vo.ca.cy - The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.

Being involved with a disability-related organization, I'm sometimes referred to as an advocate.  And yes, sometimes advocacy is the dictionary definition; active support.  One of the most overlooked aspects of being an advocate, however, is helping one-another individually.  To me, the aspect of peer counseling and involvement with others who have faced a similar situations is what Centers for Independent Living are all about. 

The highest form of advocacy is other-centered.  I love the commercials about "doing the right thing"!  Advocacy at its finest...... 

IDEO on Education

Everyone likes top ten lists.  Letterman's top ten are floated around the Internet all the time.  Here is IDEO's Ten Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience. 

Our world is in the midst of unprecedented change.  There are messages in this that apply to everyone, but every educator should take the time to reflect on these ideas. 

I've heard the quote "To teach is to learn twice".  Education goes far beyond knowledge and transference.

Win/Win Borrowing and Lending

While exploring the IDEO website, I linked to an interesting approach to borrowing and lending.  Zopa acts as the facilitator of transactions between lenders and borrowers.

This approach brings integrity back into the game.  Maybe it is now time to stop treating the financial markets with band aids and make systemic change.  Creativity doesn't have to stop during tough financial times.  Matter of fact, that's when we need it most!

Shared Humanity

This TED talk simply blew me away!  I couldn't have said it better.......

Company Empathy

I just got the latest Change This Manifestos.  Creating Widespread Empathy by Dev Patniak was interesting to me.  Dev talks about a company culture in which everyone is truly in touch with the customer. 

Matt May talked about the same culture in his book, Elegant Solutions.  He talked about the Scion project where Toyota employees actually assimilated to the culture of their potential customer's. 

This manifesto is worth reading.

Music and Math

I found this video on MSNBC today.  Teaching isn't about spewing information, it is about transferrence.  I work with a math teacher that shares that same passion, using pies to teach fractions and drilling students about times tables as they go through the door for lunch.  It works!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Power

Great Article on Psychology Today Website.  This article has particular significance to me now as I'm going through a transitional time. 

"Authentic power wells up from within, and it seldom appears full-blown early in life. Rather, it is an outcome of our ability to integrate our experiences in such a way that even adversity is ultimately incorporated into the process of growth. Authentic power is gained through vigorous participation in life, coupled with an openness to new experiences, emotional sure-footedness, strong ties to other people, the ability to find interest and pleasure in whatever we encounter and, most of all, the ability to construct meaning in our lives."