Do you value your time? →

Published December 24, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 24  ·  

Do you value your own time?

Do you actually do the math?

Suppose there was something you spent 10 minutes on per week that you could avoid doing—some chore you could eliminate. How much money is that amount of your time worth?

The first step is to value your time and it turns out this is rather hard to do. But just investing the time to think about it will shift the way you think about the way you spend your time. A few ways to put some brackets on how much you—not others—value your time.

If you know a specific hourly rate for your job, you could multiply that by 10. (The thinking being that you’re willing to sell that time at a HUGE discount because you’re gauranteed to be able to sell large amounts of it, on a well-known and convenient schedule. It’s a market balance between you and your employer.) Another possible valuation is to imagine some task you would hate; maybe it’s shoveling out latrines… and that you had to do an entire 8 hour shift of that; what hourly rate would you want? Or take your total current take-home annual income and divide by a “sane” 40-hours a week of work times 48 weeks and divide it out to get an hourly rate. Again multiple by how much you think you’re selling it at a discount based on the market forces with your employer.

Just doing the “how much is my time worth” math is valuable. Now, suppose you came up with $500/hr. (Which is a pretty reasonable amount for a reasonable human being in my opinion. Remember, this isnt how much cash you can earn at your job in an hour; this is how much do you value your time.)

That 10 minute per week task times 52 weeks? …that’s $4,300 per year of value that you “regain” by stopping that activity.

Suggested exercise: Do the math for your intentional hobbies and discover how irrelevant the physical costs are. Do the math for your “time wasting” activities and you discover how much you value your down-time, etc..

Update March 2019: Here’s something apropos from Seth Godin, Making Big Decisions About Money.

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I think it’s obvious that… →

Published December 23, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 23  ·  

If it’s really common sense, it should be easy for you to explain why. So let’s all agree to never use “common sense” again.

~ Ben Cotton from, What if we never used the phrase “common sense” again?

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I feel like we should use, “I think it’s obvious that…” That makes it very clear—to the listener, but also to myself—exactly what I’m glossing over and why.

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Silent flute →

Published December 22, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 22  ·  

I wish neither to possess,
Nor to be possessed.
I no longer covet paradise,
More important, I no longer fear hell.

The medicine for my suffering
I had within me from the very beginning,
But I did not take it.
My ailment came from within myself,
But I did not observe it
Until this moment.

Now I see that I will never find the light
Unless, like the candle, I am my own fuel,
Consuming myself.

~ Bruce Lee from, The Silent Flute

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Cord’s closing speech from The Silent Flute.

(hat tip: Martial Artist of Life by J Little.)

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Show us you have learned →

Published December 21, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 21  ·  

Eat like a human being, drink like a human being, dress up, marry, have children, get politically active — suffer abuse, bear with a headstrong brother, father, son, neighbor, or companion. Show us these things so we can see that you truly have learned from the philosophers.

~ Epictetus

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A doorway from hell into your bedroom →

Published December 20, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 20  ·  

If the devil were to create a doorway from hell straight into your bedroom, it would look a lot like an email app. While email is a valuable tool, it’s also a giant funnel into my consciousness. The single biggest change that helped me resist insomnia was to ignore work email when I get home.

~ Gabe Weatherhead from, Fighting the Insomnia Machine

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I banished the phone (and everything else) from the bedroom about a decade ago. If you have a television, your phone, your computer or anything else in the space where you sleep, I believe you are making a grave error.

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Brandee Laird | Intuitive Instruction →

Published December 19, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 19

On Castbox.fm — Brandee Laird | Intuitive Instruction

What role does intuition play in effectively teaching and engaging with learners?

Intuition transforms raw knowledge into meaningful teaching experiences.

Information on its own is just… raw data. It’s a what. Experience gives us the why and the how.

~ Brandee Laird (4:00)

The conversation explores the concept of using intuition to improve teaching effectiveness, particularly in the context of Parkour instruction. Brandee Laird highlights how intuition, often dismissed as abstract, is rooted in mindfulness and the ability to notice and interpret subtle cues. She emphasizes that a teacher’s adaptability, based on observations of students’ physical and emotional readiness, outweighs rigid adherence to pre-planned lessons.

The discussion also delves into the balance between knowledge and experience, pointing out that knowledge provides raw data, while experience transforms it into actionable insights. Key practices for fostering intuition, such as meditation and being open to unpredictability, are discussed as critical tools for becoming a more effective instructor.

Takeaways

Mindfulness — A calm and observant mind is essential for noticing subtle cues in students.

Adaptability — Teaching plans should remain flexible to match the needs of learners in real time.

Observation skills — Teachers must focus on facial expressions, body language, and energy levels to gauge readiness and engagement.

Experience vs. knowledge — Information alone is insufficient; lived experiences provide the context and meaning required for effective teaching.

Intuition development — Regularly practicing mindfulness and reflection helps turn observations into automatic, intuitive responses.

Soft skills in instruction — Intuition and empathy are critical for creating impactful learning experiences.

Resources

Parkour Visions — Organization where Brandee Laird has taught for over a decade, fostering innovative approaches to Parkour instruction.

Art of Retreat

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

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Spontaneity, creativity and the ability to connect →

Published December 19, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 19  ·  

… A lot of it is relaxation. I ran into, the acting guru from the actors studio once, in an airport, and we just chatted. And he said, “you know what the actors in the movies in the 40s had, that was helpful to them? They knew how to make themselves relax on camera.” Because most of them were not experienced or trained actors, and they had to be comfortable. That’s why you constantly saw them lighting a cigarette or sitting on the edge of a desk. Anything to help them relax. And in that relaxation, which you can get other ways if you learn, comes spontaneity, creativity, the ability to connect with the other person, because you’re not worried about yourself. You’re not thinking ‘how am I doing, am I too fat…’

~ Alan Alda from, «https://art19.com/shows/clear-vivid-with-alan-alda/episodes/4a35b668-2adc-4aa3-83b0-25ef831568d2»

Theirs was a wide-ranging and very interesting conversation about the healing power of music. Around this part, they were talking about how some people seem to be natural-born communicators. In particular, how some people just seem to “fill up a space”—in a good way.

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Working hard →

Published December 18, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 18

Not that I’m blaming society for my troubles as a young adult, but nobody ever seemed to have a very good explanation for why I actually might want to work hard and challenge myself. Not “have to”, or “need to,” but “want.” The reason was always, “It’s just something you should do,” or “You’ll be glad you did when you’re my age.”

~ David Cain from, 3 Pieces of Advice I’d Give My 18 Year-Old Self If I Could

True story: I once got a job working at a golf course as a grounds keeper. I’d bicycle ~10 miles at first-light and my dad picked me up after work. I’d string trim (the entire golf course — wrap your brain around that), edge sand traps (by hand using a machete to cut the edge of the lawn) and then rake the sand. I chain-sawed trees that fell on the course, and I painted wrought-iron in the blazing sun. Every weekday for an entire summer.

I learned two things:

A deep respect for physical labor.

…and that I wanted to go to college and be a scientist working in a lab, or maybe with computers.

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The frost →

Published December 17, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 17

Young man,
Seize every minute
Of your time.

The days fly by;
Ere long you too
Will grow old.

If you believe me not,
See there, in the courtyard,
How the frost
Glitters white and cold and cruel
On the grass that once was green.

Do you not see
That you and I
Are as the branches
Of one tree?

With your rejoicing,
Comes my laughter;
With your sadness
Start my tears.

Love,
Could life be otherwise
With you and me?

~ Tzu-yeh, translated by Bruce Lee from, Bruce Lee the Renaissance Man

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(hat tip: Martial Artist of Life by J Little.)

It isn’t clear just how old the original poetry is; How about if I guess a round 1,000 years…

The human condition is clearly something we all have in common. Youth. Senescence. Immaturity. Wisdom. Life is a journey.

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Neutral →

Published December 16, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 16  ·  

Neutral is a state where you are not jumping ahead too quickly or moving too slowly. Neutral does not mean being inactive, complacent, or passive. It’s about a calm poise that allows for new information and new possibilities to emerge before taking further action. When in neutral you actually increase your sensitivity and intuitive intelligence. Neutral is fertile ground for new possibilities to grow from.

~ Doc Childre

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