'WISHING YOU & YOUR FAMILY A VERY BRAIN FIT DECADE' from SharpBrains

Here's the link to many interesting resources about brain fitness, from SharpBrains, a market research & publishing firm tracking the research & marketplace for brain fitness & cognitive health.

A WISE QUOTE FOR MONDAY MORNING

"... from my experience, the best strategists retain a childlike wonder and a natural intellectual curiosity that is backed by analytical rigour - an incredibly hard combination of skills to possess in one person... "

~ consultant Jeffrey Swystun; also a reviewer on amazon.com;

WISHING READERS A MERRY & PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

[Source of Picture: 'REAL SIMPLE: life made easier, every day' weblog]

CRITICAL THINKING: WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TEACH?

Here's the link to an interesting, though belated, article, in the form of a .pdf document entitled, 'Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach?'. Readers can download the pdf document.

In this article originally published in 'American Educator', cognitive psychologist Daniel Willingham at the University of Virginia, deconstructs “critical thinking skills” – which everyone seems to agree that students should learn better in school – and gives some helpful advice on how we should go about teaching those skills.

A WISE QUOTE FOR MONDAY MORNING

"... human futures are unpredictable and it is futile to think that past trends will forecast coming patterns. The trajectory of technology might offer some opportunity for predicting the future... But even the 'pure' history of science features unanticipated findings, and must also contend with nature's stubborn tendency to frustrate our expectations...

Moreover any forecast about the future must consider the incendiary instability generated by interaction between technological change and the wierd ways of human conduct, both individual and social..."

~ Stephen Jay Gould;

A WISE QUOTE FOR MONDAY MORNING

"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries."

~ Prof. A.C. Grayling, in a review of ‘A History of Reading' by Alberto Manguel that was published in Financial Times;

TODAY'S Q2P (QUESTION TO PONDER)

How can you organise and build capability in innovative ways to ensure that organisational objectives are met, regardless of whether the economy (or an individual market) is expanding or contracting?

[Source: Changeboard: The write-up on "strategic agility" is interesting reading.]

SO, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT TODAY?

Here's a link to an interesting article on
'ALWAYS BE THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS', by Chris Gillebeau, the roving author of 'The Art of Non-Conformity: ~ Unconventional Strategies for Life, Work & Travel' weblog.

He has outlined an excellent phlethora of big as well as small things to think about & to get them executed, as follows:

1) Dreams:

Because it all starts with a dream or an idea. Recapture your lost dreams, create new ones, and find a way to make them real.

2) Living:

Because as Bob Dylan said, “He not busy being born is busy dying.” If you’re not sure what to live for, try peak moments and big adventures.

3) Influences:

Because none of us lives in a vacuum. Who has helped you become who you are now? (And have you thanked them lately?)

4) Relationships (near and far):

Because relationships are central to everything else. Is there a phone call you need to make? What can you do to help someone, or at least show them you care?

5) Passion:

Because life is short, you might as well spend it doing things you’re excited about. It’s only an overused word because most people don’t know what it is.

6) Destinations:

Because you need to know where are you going, whether it’s a real destination or a representative one. (If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.)

7) Deliverables:

Because producing something worthwhile leads to a meaningful life. Every day you can wake up and think, what’s next? It’s often easier to focus on deliverables than a time schedule that may vary depending on what else is going on.

8) Growth:

Because it’s not about growth for the sake of itself, but if you have something good and you can build it further without losing anything, why not grow?

9) Metrics:

Because you need a way to measure your journey.

10) Legacy:

Because this is the most important thing! What are you building? What is the story of your life, and what will be its ultimate impact on the world?

Is parting shot: So, what you thinking about today?

By the way, Chris Gillebeau is also the author of 'The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World'. I have already ordered a copy from amazon to read in time just before Christmas.

A WISE QUOTE FOR MONDAY MORNING

"... holding onto security is like trying to grasp water in your hands — it is futile. Like it or not, life is a fluid experience, not a fixed entity. Life is continually changing, and it is only when we understand this truth, that we can navigate life in a more meaningful manner. Trying to understand life by clinging to the illusion that it is predictable is self-defeating. It is only when we are able to "wrap our arms" around the unpredictable nature of life that we eventually learn to experience the well-being associated with security... "

~ author & philosopher, Alan Watts, who explores the nature of paradox in his classic, 'The Wisdom of Insecurity';

CHAMPIONING STUDENTS: NO RAH RAH & TOUCHY FEELY STUFF!

[continuation from the Last Post ~ in connection with the recent launch of a series of new programs intended for parents as well as their school-going kids/teens, under the auspices of 'The House of Creative Brains'.]


One last point about Dilip's programs.

Unlike all those fancy purveyors out in the marketplace, Dilip is very discerning; he doesn't want to waste time in giving participants that "temporary high" in class.

Yes! It is true that the brain gets emotionally charged up, whenever there is a lot of "rah-rah" &/or "touchy feely" stuff going around, especially orchestrated within the confined space of a seminar/workshop environment.

This "groupie feeling" obviously makes participants feel good, & longing for more. But what happens when one leaves the seminar/workshop?

A lot of these people will end up in square one. They are resigned to become seminar/workshop junkies. No offence intended, as I have encountered a lot of these people in my professional life.

Sad to say, these people are more keen in seeking that momentary nostalgic emotion, rather than committed to making real changes in their own personal lives.

This is the harsh reality in the public seminar/workshop circuit involving so-called motivational training, & you know what, enterprising but unscrupulous purveyors are riding on it!

Do you know why? Here's my answer, courtesy of comedian/actor Jimmy Durante:

"Man is the only animal that can be skinned more than once!"

In contrast, Dilip only wants participants to go home with truly sustainable strategies for immediate application & spontaneous integration in their own life.

Naturally, he will ensure that class time under his coaching is always FUN TIME!

CHAMPIONING STUDENTS: INVITING PARENTS' INVOLVEMENT & GARNERING THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT

[continuation from the Last Post ~ in connection with the recent launch of a series of new programs intended for parents as well as their school-going kids/teens, under the auspices of 'The House of Creative Brains'.]


The program originally intended for parents is also designed to coach & equip parents as "learning facilitators", so that they can fulfill their parenting role more effectively & efficiently by virtue of being their children's first teachers.

Dilip believes in the philosophy that parents who learn together with their children will earn together, as well as stay together.

More importantly, this philosophy builds on the concept that high-performing parents nurture high-performing children, as parents become the worthwhile role models.

Taking such an active role in their own children's education, & working closely with other parents with the same interests & concerns, will engender a larger, growing community, which can then help to sustain one another in the long run.

The aim is to inspire the creation of brain clubs as "learning communities", across the neighbourhoods of the nation.

By drawing upon senior citizens, who are still active in life, the community can evolve into multi-tier generational self-help networks, in line with national aspirations of making productive use of everyone's contributions in making Singapore a 'Learning Capital of the World', as Dilip likes to put it.

Through participation in projects or events, such "learning communities" will naturally enhance the "cognitive fitness" of our senior citizens through their Third Age till their Fourth Age.

To end this post of mine, I like to share a fascinating & yet valuable lesson which I had learned years ago from productivity guru Stephen Covey, who wrote his magnum opus, '7 Habits for Highly Effective People', during the late eighties.

As I had understood his penetrating insights, life is essentially a never-ending mental toggle between a stimulus in the our surroundings, to which we have first chosen to see & subsequently directed our attention to it, & our interpretation as well as our finally chosen response to it.

However, between the physical stimulus, as captured by our body senses, & the mental response in our mind, there lies this wonderful metaphysical dimension - as some sort of "space-time", at least from my perspective.

This is the metaphysical dimension within which we always make our daily life decisions.

As writer P J O'Rourke had put it so aptly:

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."

That's to say, in explicit terms, we all have that wonderful freedom - our power to choose, so to speak - to exercise our response to everyday situations, but we must also bear the consequences of our action, because every action has a consequence. This is a universal truth.

To all the parents out there, the ball is now in your court!

[to be continued in the Next Post.]

[For more information about the series of new programs under 'The House of Creative Brains', please get in touch with Ms. Faye Yeoh via her email faye_yeoh@yahoo.com]