Lucky

What helps luck is a habit of watching for opportunities, of having a patient, but restless mind, of sacrificing one’s ease or vanity, of uniting a love of detail to foresight, and of passing through hard times bravely and cheerfully.

~ Victor Cherbuliez

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A form of movement

If you do not have a movement practice or access to a good movement teacher, then finding a physical practice that you enjoy and makes you feel empowered is a good place to start.

~ Soisci Porchetta from, «https://www.humanpatterns.net/blog/2018/10/3/why-we-should-all-have-a-form-of-movement-practice»

You already love moving, (or nothing I write is going to convince you.) The only question then is where are you in your journey? Are you in the age of roots, fire, water or air? It’s very important to realize there are going to be major transitions in one’s journey through life. I consider myself typical in that movement played a huge role when I was young. There was a significant period in my 30’s where I lost the plot. I was lucky that I didn’t lose touch with movement for too long. Looking back from 20 years on, I believe that I was trying to hold onto an identity.

At the time, what I was doing was a big part of who I saw myself as. I didn’t understand that who I am, was going to change—is supposed to change! Naive, I denied the feelings which were suggesting I change. As I said, it turns out I was lucky.

As is often the case: No takeaway. Just food for thought.

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Ridiculous

The moral? That there is no greater homage we could pay Proust than to end up passing the same verdict on him as he passed on Ruskin, namely, that for all its qualities, his work must eventually also prove silly, maniacal, constraining, false and ridiculous to those who spend too long on it.

“To make [reading] into a discipline is to give too large a role to what is only an incitement. Reading is on the threshold of the spiritual life; it can introduce us to it: It does not constitute it.”

Even the finest books deserve to be thrown aside.

~ Alain de Botton

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Outstandingly creative

What makes the difference between an outstandingly creative person and a less creative one is not any special power, but greater knowledge (in the form of practiced expertise) and the motivation to acquire and use it. This motivation endures for long periods, perhaps shaping and inspiring a whole lifetime.

~ Margaret A. Boden

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Taking note

As it happens, my journalism often requires I read a mountain of material. For any given Wired column, for example, I might read dozens of white papers, reports, and news articles. I’ll also do ten or twelve interviews and transcribe them. When I’m researching a longer feature for a magazine? This number quickly grows to scores of documents, and several dozen interviews. And with a book — like my last one, Coders — we’re talking about literally hundreds and hundreds of documents (books, papers, etc) and several hundred transcribed interviews.

~ Clive Thompson from, How I Take Notes When I’m Doing Research

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I love when people take the time to explain some of the effort which goes into writing, then writing well, writing articles well, and writing books well. I’m still on level, “writing” and knowing what goes into writing well (let alone writing articles or books well) keeps me from developing any delusions of grandeur. I read Thompson’s article (which I hope you can read on Medium if you wish to click through) and I loved it. That’s enough to make the reading worth doing. Being able to quote, share, reflect and sometimes integrate what I’ve read? Priceless.

Also: Thank you for reading. I don’t take your attention for granted. :^)

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Pale facsimilies

We only really know what is new, what suddenly introduces to our sensibility a change of tone which strikes us, that for which habit has not yet substituted its pale facsimiles.

~ Marcel Proust

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The answer

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.

~ Jim Carrey

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Sometimes I weep

What focus means is saying no to something that you, with every bone in your body, you think is a phenomenal idea and you wake up thinking about it, but you say no to it because you’re focusing on something else.

~ Jonny Ive from, The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Focus

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I have a lot of ideas. (Perhaps your experience is similar?) For most of my life I thought all of my ideas where good ones. Sure, there were some insane bicycle accidents and spectacular snow-tubing disasters, but in the minutes following an incident, I still thought it was a good idea. Poorly planned, poorly executed, or both, sure. But life seemed to be an endless parade of good ideas each affording an opportunity to grab life by the choose-your-own-metaphor. In hindsight, I think it was all simply poor—or, if I’m honest, a complete absence of—impulse control.

In recent years it has become apparent my time on Earth is limited. (Perhaps your experience is similar?) These days that stream of ideas continues. What if I installed a motion-activated auto-targeting water sprinkler filled with Capsaicin-laced water to keep the squirrels away? (Yes, really.) …and okay, well, the ideas don’t all seem like good ideas anymore. Fine. I’m cool with having limited time, limited resources, and possibly some added social awareness.

But every once in a while, I have an idea which is blindingly awesome. Even if I have one such idea only once in a while, that still means I have more than I can try, and then I have to choose. I have to choose some, and say no to others.

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Jesse Danger | Embrace Challenge

On Castbox.fm — Jesse Danger | Embrace Challenge

What insights can be gained from using diverse learning models to create thriving environments in physical and social practices?

The conversation explores the transformation of complex teaching philosophies into accessible frameworks.

The mental model is a framework to say that we’re diverse learners, and we want to create spaces where people of all different learning abilities can thrive.

~ Jesse Danger (3:45)

The conversation emphasizes the importance of creating learning environments that accommodate a range of mental, physical, and social dynamics. It explores frameworks that simplify complex teaching philosophies into practical approaches, making concepts more accessible. One key topic is the shift from long, unresolved discussions to concise, impactful interactions, demonstrating how frameworks can bridge gaps in understanding.

Another focus is on how specific mental models allow educators to engage diverse learners effectively. These models divide learning into quadrants based on complexity and directionality, supporting both structured drills and open-ended exploration. Participants reflect on how these strategies foster personal and group growth, ensuring inclusivity and clarity in coaching practices.

Takeaways

Frameworks for teaching — Simplifying complex ideas into models enhances understanding.

Diverse learning styles — Acknowledging varied learner needs creates inclusive environments.

Quadrants of learning — Balancing simplicity, complexity, and directionality enriches education.

Communication challenges — Articulating ideas clearly bridges gaps in understanding.

Empowering participants — Involving learners in model creation increases engagement.

Resources

The Movement Creative — Organization behind the discussed book and learning frameworks.

jesse@themovementcreative.com

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Think more

Read less, study less, but think more. Learn, both from your teachers and from the books which you read, only those things which you really need and which you really want to know.

~ Leo Tolstoy

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