This book has given me a big insight… and ultimately a breakthrough, though we shall see… like with everything, on the long run.
OK, let me start at the beginning.
Most books are either easy or difficult to read. Why? I just found out.
This book, the Metaskills was alternating between easy to read and difficult to read.
At some point it felt like thick mud I needed to wade through.
Why? I had no idea how what he was talking about was connecting to what the book was supposedly about.
I am nearly certain that this happens to you too. The thought is ‘What does this have to do with the price of tea in China?’ or some other dismissive thought.
UPDATE: I have some underachiever friends and students. I suspect that they may have dyslexia. It just occurred to me… after two excruciatingly difficult conversations in a row… where the partners in the conversation felt stuck, dense, and their level of comprehension is low.
Both are men, both are making a living in their own business, both shy away from learning anything new.
It is one of the worst things for me when I try to teach someone something that they need, and they nod and yes me to death, only to do the opposite or nothing.
Every human wants to make a difference, wants to matter, more than anything, and this flies in the face of that…
It seems it is video-day here in my house… today. Mind you, I am not quite doing it for entertainment, I am looking for some solution.
In my coaching calls and even watching, observing myself, I have realized that some foundational skills are missing. They are the kind of foundation without which you simply can’t have what you want, you can’t feel better about yourself, and you can’t accomplish much of anything worth writing home about.
So I have to either find a way or make one, to teach you the missing skills.
In this case I’d prefer to find a way, after all if someone is already teaching it, why invent the wheel.
I just read a little local article about a fourth-grader (age 9~10) who challenged himself to read more books than he did the previous summer (100) and read almost 150 books this past summer.
His favorites are fantasy and fiction, including Viking and Greek mythology.
Now, if I asked you what’s the difference between you and this kid, what would you say?
You probably think that I am accusing you with not reading enough, so you would reach for some excuses, and some self-justification, not enough time, blah blah blah.
A few years ago, (maybe 3?) I went over the list of people I was angry at, or disappointed by. I made an all-out attempt to liberate myself from the bondage anger or disappointment creates.
Anger, resentment, disappointment: all symptoms of ego/mind, all symptoms of thinking of the future and feeling threatened. Look at how the Indonesian Mimic Octopus makes sure that they don’t fall prey to having any reason for anger, etc. But humans are not as intelligent: they willingly put themselves in that position… Don’t forget to read the rest of the article once you are done watching the video
I knew, in theory, that no one can do anything to you. That it is not what they do that makes you miserable, it is what you say about it. That it’s always your ego that is bruised.