Entirely too much →

Published December 2, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 2  ·  

There is entirely too much human judging, too much flippant criticism of the acts of others. Suspicion is permitted to displace evidence, cheap shrewdness to banish charity, prejudice to masquerade as judgment. We imagine, we guess, we speculate—then pass on through the medium of indiscreet speech and idle gossip what may bring bitterness, sorrow, heartache, and injustice to others. The very ones we condemn may be battling nobly under a hail of trial and temptation where we might fall faint in the trenches or, lowering our colors, drop back in hopeless surrender.

~ William George Jordan, from Manvotional

slip:4uaoai11.

Written ~1909, this is 100 years old and still pitch-perfect today. The more things change the more they stay the same.

ɕ

A man of thought →

Published December 1, 2018  ·  All posts on Dec 1  ·  

Think like a man of action. Act like a man of thought.

~ Henri Bergson

slip:4a502.

The apocalypse is already here →

Published November 30, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 30  ·  

We’re made increasingly miserable because connect-the-world imperialists are unleashing machine learning on our most vulnerable and base impulses. A constant loop of refinement that prods our psyche for weak spots, and then exploits them with maximal efficiency. All in the service of selling ads for cars, shampoo, or political discord.

~ David Hansson from, «https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-ai-apocalypse-is-already-here-3bd3267cc151»

Sometimes it’s nice to stop worrying about the existential threat of the rise of the machines…

…and to instead worry about the existential threat of people doing stupid things.

ɕ

Goal visualization →

Published November 29, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 29  ·  

When people in the workplace confront shift, rift, zooming, and all of the other challenges that make up business life, there is one thread that runs through all of the choices that they make: Either they’re torchbearers, or they’re not.

~ Seth Godin from, And from the Russian judge…

slip:4useao1.

Something I talk often about is goal visualization. I’m a firm believer in the idea that “close” and “almost” do not pass muster. When I’m working, and when I’m helping others work, I visualize the goal: We need a door in this wall. It has to be this high, and wide enough for furniture to pass through. And the more specific the goal, the better. The door itself need not be insulated, but it should match the decor of the rooms on either side. It needs an easy to use, single-handle latch/door knob combination. When work begins, I then use the goal as a decision razor: For every choice—every choice, no exceptions—does this option or solution move me towards the goal? Is this a detour that moves me farther from the goal, but then makes it much easier later. [Otherwise known as front-loading work.] Along the way I visualize the state of the world at each step; We’ll knock a hole in the wall on Tuesday—wait, we have a dinner party on Friday… can we be done by Friday?

I’m not only imagining the goal. I’m imagining every single step along the way. What can go wrong? What can go better-than-expected, and what if anything should we do with that gain? And why did we choose this path? …maybe we should re-assess that decision and go this other way, now that we have this new intel having come this far? How important is this goal? …is this a goal to reach at all costs? …can we move the goal now that we have new knowledge? Can we shift some of the work into a next segment of work, shifting our current goal onto an intermediate point along the way to the ultimate goal.

Torch bearer.

ɕ

Jacob Carlson | Guiding Motivation & Confidence →

Published November 28, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 28

On Castbox.fm — Jacob Carlson | Guiding Motivation & Confidence

What are the essential principles of motivation and confidence that can be purposefully applied in coaching to develop individuals holistically?

Exploring the psychological foundations of motivation and confidence in coaching.

As we start to give people, you know, 1000s of successful experiences, when they’re faced with that one challenge, they can look back on all the successes they had—instant boost in confidence.

~ Jacob Carlson (5:04)

The conversation focuses on the principles and application of motivation and confidence in coaching, primarily through self-determination theory and self-efficacy theory. The discussion outlines how these theories can intentionally inspire personal growth in students beyond accidental outcomes. Jacob emphasizes the importance of guiding individuals rather than imposing rigid teaching methods to help them develop their capabilities holistically.

Additionally, Jacob shares insights into how past successes can be stored as a “bank” to boost confidence during challenges. By applying these concepts, the goal is to cultivate not only skilled athletes but also resilient, well-rounded individuals. The conversation also highlights the deeper purpose of coaching: developing personal character and attributes that extend beyond the immediate context of sports or activities.

Takeaways

Teaching as guidance — Effective coaching requires guiding individuals rather than imposing a fixed methodology.

Self-determination theory — Motivation is deeply connected to autonomy, competence, and relatedness, all of which can be nurtured intentionally.

Self-efficacy theory — Confidence grows when individuals can reflect on a history of successful experiences.

Holistic development — The ultimate goal is to create capable, confident people, not just skilled athletes.

Framework for application — Theories can be practically integrated into coaching to intentionally inspire growth in motivation and confidence.

Long-term impact — Focusing on character and mental resilience provides benefits far beyond the context of physical training.

Resources

Self-Determination Theory — A framework for understanding human motivation based on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

University of Utah — The institution where the speaker is preparing for physical therapy school.

(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)

ɕ

Exegesis →

Published November 28, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 28

The beautiful and imperishable comes into existence due to the suffering of individual perishable creatures who themselves are not beautiful, and must be reshaped to form a template from which the beautiful is printed (forged, extracted, converted). This is the terrible law of the universe. This is the basic law; it is a fact… Absolute suffering leads to — is the means to — absolute beauty.”

~ Philip K. Dick

For me, Dick’s writing is uniquely situated. I first found it as a part of my plain-vanilla interest in science fiction. It then appeared—both in the sense that I found it next, and in the sense that the movies were created next—in some popular science incarnations in movies. I fell [and remain] deeply in lust with Blade Runner(*). …and afterwards discovered Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. This is hinted at in Popova’s short brain pickings post too, but there’s something fascinating to me about how Dick went “’round the bend.”

* By the way, the second movie… words fail me. I love it so much, I feel like I’m cheating on the original.

ɕ

On blame →

Published November 27, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 27  ·  

What I like about that phrase, “I hate the person who invented Mondays,” is that it reveals the absurdity of one of our very human habits. We have a tendency to find some part of our environment to scold — a person or thing — whenever we run into some kind of problem in our lives. Something unpleasant happens unexpectedly, and the emotion of blame arises. We search for a source to our suffering, and fix our dislike on it and align ourselves against it, as if our sheer, bitter ill-will can transmute a part of life we hate into something we like.

~ David Cain from, Blame is Useless

slip:4uraba1.

It’s important for me to distinguish between cause and blame. Cause—it seems to me—is something I can work at picking apart. It’s unlikely I’d have a full understanding of cause-and-effect in any random situation, (“why exactly did that guy just spill his beer on me,” is pretty complicated after all,) but picking at the threads of the seemingly unknowable knot-that-is-the-cause… That tends to lead me to a more thoughtful view of the world. And a more thoughtful view invariably leads me to a more optimistic view of the world.

Here’s a tangential thought as an example: Is it “Western Civilization” that is taking over the world? Or is it “Best Civilization” is taking over, and the areas we label “western” have just gotten to the ideas [all, some, or just one in particular under discussion] first? If I ditch, “who’s to blame,” for the specific changes in civilization which I dislike [think: social media] and instead ask, “what is causing that change?”… well, that changes my view of things significantly.

ɕ

Willpower →

Published November 26, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 26  ·  

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

~ Vince Lombardi

slip:4a130.

Shiri’s Scissor →

Published November 25, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 25  ·  

Epistemic status: fiction

~ Scott Alexander from, Sort by Controversial

slip:4usaso1.

What a delightful read by the fire on a quiet Saturday morning, until it hit me that—

Well, you’ll get no spoilers from me.

ɕ

Once may be your last chance →

Published November 24, 2018  ·  All posts on Nov 24  ·  

So it stands to reason that if you want a clean house (or anything else) you have to a) put in the effort to get it there — completely there — and then b) police it for little broken windows. Things sitting out. Tasks that have been ignored once. Duties that have been ducked once. Promises that have been broken once. Twice is too late; you have to start again.

~ David Cain from, How to Fight Crime by Making Your Bed

slip:4uraho10.

The broken window theory is, in fact, very much open to debate. But setting that aside for a moment.

I definitely have a habit of chasing things down to their root cause on the first instance of trouble. I’m not anywhere close to perfect! But my first instinct is to stop what I’m doing and figure out what that thing just happened. I’m an imaginer of processes. I go around trying to find one solution which fixes two things, or better yet, fixes two things by fixing one and eliminating a second.

ɕ