Showing posts with label Genius. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genius. Show all posts
Sir Ken Robinson: TED Talk on Creativity
"Around the world, there were no public [schooling] systems, really, before the 19th century. They all came into being to meet the needs of industrialism. So, the hierarchy is based on two ideas:
1.) The most useful subjects for work are at the top. So you were probably steered away from subjects you liked [art, music...] on the grounds you'll never get a job doing that. Benign advice. Now, profoundly mistaken. The whole world is engulfed in revolution.
2.) Academic ability, which has really come to dominate our view of intelligence. The universities designed the system in their image. The whole system of public [schooling] around the world is a protracted process of university entrance. The consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn't valued, or was actually stigmatized.
And I think we can't afford to go on that way.
...Suddenly, degrees aren't worth anything.
We need to rethink our views of intelligence."
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Creator EnlightenedChild.com
Be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
~
The Lost Generation - Must See Video
My friend Malena Gamboa from We On Earth - http://www.weonearth.org - first showed me this, and it's absolutely brilliant!
Or Click Here to see this brilliant video about the Lost Generation the refuses to accept...
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
Or Click Here to see this brilliant video about the Lost Generation the refuses to accept...
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
How is the New (Social) Media Affecting Your Kid's Brain?
If you have a kid, you MUST watch this video. Especially if they're in their teens.
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
Holy Crow - Wireless Electricity is HERE!!!
Watch this video - he actually demos untethered power on a TV and iPhone!
The only thing I might add is that the story I heard went something like: JP Morgan was the financier of the Tesla tower on Long Island... he had it summarily destroyed once he learned of the purpose - Free electricity around the globe.
Corporate Policy is to put a meter on EVERYTHING.
Notice how the demo in this video requires access to the same power grid we're already on - it just distributes the power locally in an untethered fashion.
What about TESLA!!! He dismantled his engineering notes and distributed them among a couple dozen nations and said, "When you can play nice, you can have my secrets to unlimited free power anywhere in the world."
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
The only thing I might add is that the story I heard went something like: JP Morgan was the financier of the Tesla tower on Long Island... he had it summarily destroyed once he learned of the purpose - Free electricity around the globe.
Corporate Policy is to put a meter on EVERYTHING.
Notice how the demo in this video requires access to the same power grid we're already on - it just distributes the power locally in an untethered fashion.
What about TESLA!!! He dismantled his engineering notes and distributed them among a couple dozen nations and said, "When you can play nice, you can have my secrets to unlimited free power anywhere in the world."
To Your Enlightenment Experience!
Craig
Want a free print of the 'Realized' Buddha collage I made in 1998? Enter your email here: www.enlightenedchild.com
be sure to join our Facebook Fan Page as well!
What's the Worst That Can Happen?
I won't deal in cut-throat business environments. There's nothing I want bad enough to tolerate that type of back-stabbing behavior. I can't imagine any good would come of it anyway even if I got what I thought I wanted... seems like it would come back at me with some price far in excess of any joy I felt.
That's not to say I haven't been double-crossed before. In business. In love. Not nearly as bad as it could have been. Sort of like the way I feel about my car accidents - just enough to rattle me and hopefully drive home the lesson.
Robert Ringer says there are three types of ways people will screw you:
1.) Tell you right to your face they're gonna grab all your chips
2.) Tell you they wouldn't dream of taking all your chips then doing it anyway
3.) Tell you they wouldn't dream of taking all your chips then, when it happens anyway, really telling you how bad they feel it worked out that way.
I guess the reason this is on my mind is because I'm contemplating some Joint Ventures (JVs) for my new business with people I have only met on Facebook.
As I approach the possibility of working with people who could easily swipe my idea and run with it, I steel myself with the conviction that the Enlightened Child mentoring component of the new business will make it immune to being ripped off 100 times by marketing sharks. What I aim for instead is a collaborative platform that brings social media experts together and creates a dynamic learning environment between them, their clients, and the mentees.
The mentees are learning marketing through implementing the social media profiles for the clients of my various Social Media Experts.
This way, the Social Media Experts can all offer a personally branded Done-For-You package and the mentees can get a world-class education that is relevant, and actually pays them to learn and achieve according to their interests.
That's the concept for the business that I'm creating to help me transition from a 9-5'er and free up time to write my Enlightened Child book and teach kids all about the wonders of the universe at concerts and other places I travel to.
Maybe there are still people out there who will habitually screw me over. Maybe I still have a lot naivete to get burned out of me. Whatever happens, I feel the Enlightened Child mission will keep marching my feet, keep creating with my hands, keep speaking with my tongue.
Looking at everything in life as a learning experience, I feel very little fear anymore.
What's the worst that can happen?
I'll learn.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
That's not to say I haven't been double-crossed before. In business. In love. Not nearly as bad as it could have been. Sort of like the way I feel about my car accidents - just enough to rattle me and hopefully drive home the lesson.
Robert Ringer says there are three types of ways people will screw you:
1.) Tell you right to your face they're gonna grab all your chips
2.) Tell you they wouldn't dream of taking all your chips then doing it anyway
3.) Tell you they wouldn't dream of taking all your chips then, when it happens anyway, really telling you how bad they feel it worked out that way.
I guess the reason this is on my mind is because I'm contemplating some Joint Ventures (JVs) for my new business with people I have only met on Facebook.
As I approach the possibility of working with people who could easily swipe my idea and run with it, I steel myself with the conviction that the Enlightened Child mentoring component of the new business will make it immune to being ripped off 100 times by marketing sharks. What I aim for instead is a collaborative platform that brings social media experts together and creates a dynamic learning environment between them, their clients, and the mentees.
The mentees are learning marketing through implementing the social media profiles for the clients of my various Social Media Experts.
This way, the Social Media Experts can all offer a personally branded Done-For-You package and the mentees can get a world-class education that is relevant, and actually pays them to learn and achieve according to their interests.
That's the concept for the business that I'm creating to help me transition from a 9-5'er and free up time to write my Enlightened Child book and teach kids all about the wonders of the universe at concerts and other places I travel to.
Maybe there are still people out there who will habitually screw me over. Maybe I still have a lot naivete to get burned out of me. Whatever happens, I feel the Enlightened Child mission will keep marching my feet, keep creating with my hands, keep speaking with my tongue.
Looking at everything in life as a learning experience, I feel very little fear anymore.
What's the worst that can happen?
I'll learn.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
How to Get a Mentor?
It seems counter-intuitive... "Take a Millionaire to Lunch! but HE'S the one with all the money and I'm broke!"
What about the offering of gifts is so irresistible to Mentors?
Narcissism. The Mentoring relationship is more than merely training or teaching. It's probably got roots in some Freudian complex, which none-the-less means there's great power in the relationship.
Mentors are on a path. They have conquered the mountain, or are well on their way to it. They don't have time for nambi-pambi bologna. They want results because the results they are known for is what qualifies them as a potential mentor for you (or your child) in the first place.
WARNING: It's a common fallacy, and a sure set up for disappointment, to project guru status on someone who is expert in their field. This shows up most often in the way they are seen as expert in an omni-potent sense - they know it all... about everything - when really they may be woefully unqualified to mentor you(r child) in any other area. Think starving artist or pervert guru. They have one field of competence nailed - clearly to the detriment of other areas like sustenance and morality. So, just be careful of this.
So, mentors see themselves in the mentee. They won't work with someone in a TRUE mentoring capacity unless they can see the inner nature of the protege as clearly as they see their own hand. Everything else is just passing advice and well-wishing one another on your way. True mentoring is a durable, ongoing relationship that can last decades or lifetimes.
How do you find these potential mentors and then get them to mentor you(r child)?
Good question - because Mentors save you so much time and heartache it's not even funny. Taking a millionaire to lunch could change your life. So, don't hesitate when you see an opportunity to obtain even passing advice. And when you find someone you really feel is right for you - I mean, you've checked each other out in person, learned about what you each want in life, where you're going and how your mentor can help you get there... then you can follow these steps:
The steps for obtaining a mentor, as given to me by a mentor I'm courting:
1.) Identify a burning desire in your heart.
2.) Learn as much as you can about this on your own.
3.) Identify individuals who have gone and done what you envision going and doing.
4.) Approach them and interview them. It's always a mutual interview.
5.) Suggest a mentoring relationship - they may be experienced in this or not.
6.) Tell them you'd like to make a formal offering for them to consider.
7.) Prepare and deliver a package of some sort the represents something meaningful to the atmosphere or relationship dynamic that you are entering in to. Something that the Mentor can consider in the gestalt of his life and how much he is willing and able to commit to this process.
8.) Be on time for meetings, be professional with communications, keep all commitments in a timely fashion, and be generally grateful for all instruction and reflection.
9.) Watch for pathologies that may disrupt or interfere with a True Mentoring Relationship - never abdicate responsibility for your mental and emotional safety to ANYONE. You are your own best protector. Keep your eyes open.
10. Continually obtain new mentors on your journey of life. This will provide a blend of perspectives, and give you a roundtable of reference points to call on when advancing through life's choppy waters. Collect Mentors and keep in touch with them. They truly care about you and want to share your journey. The more you keep in touch, the easier you will find it to call on them even years down the road.
So, this is my run-down on Getting Mentors.
I'm sending a wooden box of natural tobacco to my chosen mentor. If he accepts, I will be heading to Vermont, near Burlington, to be Mentored as a Water Pourer for sweat lodges several times a year - Solstice and Equinox sweats.
Today I found the box I will send. So, this was on my mind.
Hope you find it helpful and certainly hope you're share it with your teens and their friends!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
What about the offering of gifts is so irresistible to Mentors?
Narcissism. The Mentoring relationship is more than merely training or teaching. It's probably got roots in some Freudian complex, which none-the-less means there's great power in the relationship.
Mentors are on a path. They have conquered the mountain, or are well on their way to it. They don't have time for nambi-pambi bologna. They want results because the results they are known for is what qualifies them as a potential mentor for you (or your child) in the first place.
WARNING: It's a common fallacy, and a sure set up for disappointment, to project guru status on someone who is expert in their field. This shows up most often in the way they are seen as expert in an omni-potent sense - they know it all... about everything - when really they may be woefully unqualified to mentor you(r child) in any other area. Think starving artist or pervert guru. They have one field of competence nailed - clearly to the detriment of other areas like sustenance and morality. So, just be careful of this.
So, mentors see themselves in the mentee. They won't work with someone in a TRUE mentoring capacity unless they can see the inner nature of the protege as clearly as they see their own hand. Everything else is just passing advice and well-wishing one another on your way. True mentoring is a durable, ongoing relationship that can last decades or lifetimes.
How do you find these potential mentors and then get them to mentor you(r child)?
Good question - because Mentors save you so much time and heartache it's not even funny. Taking a millionaire to lunch could change your life. So, don't hesitate when you see an opportunity to obtain even passing advice. And when you find someone you really feel is right for you - I mean, you've checked each other out in person, learned about what you each want in life, where you're going and how your mentor can help you get there... then you can follow these steps:
The steps for obtaining a mentor, as given to me by a mentor I'm courting:
1.) Identify a burning desire in your heart.
2.) Learn as much as you can about this on your own.
3.) Identify individuals who have gone and done what you envision going and doing.
4.) Approach them and interview them. It's always a mutual interview.
5.) Suggest a mentoring relationship - they may be experienced in this or not.
6.) Tell them you'd like to make a formal offering for them to consider.
7.) Prepare and deliver a package of some sort the represents something meaningful to the atmosphere or relationship dynamic that you are entering in to. Something that the Mentor can consider in the gestalt of his life and how much he is willing and able to commit to this process.
8.) Be on time for meetings, be professional with communications, keep all commitments in a timely fashion, and be generally grateful for all instruction and reflection.
9.) Watch for pathologies that may disrupt or interfere with a True Mentoring Relationship - never abdicate responsibility for your mental and emotional safety to ANYONE. You are your own best protector. Keep your eyes open.
10. Continually obtain new mentors on your journey of life. This will provide a blend of perspectives, and give you a roundtable of reference points to call on when advancing through life's choppy waters. Collect Mentors and keep in touch with them. They truly care about you and want to share your journey. The more you keep in touch, the easier you will find it to call on them even years down the road.
So, this is my run-down on Getting Mentors.
I'm sending a wooden box of natural tobacco to my chosen mentor. If he accepts, I will be heading to Vermont, near Burlington, to be Mentored as a Water Pourer for sweat lodges several times a year - Solstice and Equinox sweats.
Today I found the box I will send. So, this was on my mind.
Hope you find it helpful and certainly hope you're share it with your teens and their friends!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
SHOULD Your Child Be Working From a Checklist?
Making the "checklist" process conscious has a lot of value. It's a life-skill that is never really taught, unless by a mentor who either discovered it or learned it from his own mentor. Most people are not proficient at it, and it's like playing an instrument, learning a language - you have to practice for years.
So, here's this insight:
Teach your child to consciously develop mental checklists so they know how to make and improve checklists in their minds. (Hint: put the steps on paper and run through them while revising, then memorize/habituate the new routine.)
I like to use my hand as a counting tool. I think 3 things are manageable for a young child, so I'll put up my fist and stick out my pinky and call that the step where we do what Corrina wants to do. Then I'll stick out my thumb and have that be the next step I want her to take. Usually it's something simple just to get her on track and feeling accomplished. So, when she was 4-5 it was taking our shoes off when we get in the house and putting them away properly. Something consistent that she could rely on. Something familiar to reduce anxiety and build good habits around the house or whatever teaching environment. (Which I learned from Montessori Primary - Practical Life skills.)
So the conversation would go something like this:
Corrina: Dad can we wrestle when we get home?
Dad: Absolutely. What has to happen before we can wrestle?
Corrina: Ummmm...
Dad: Okay when we get home what's the first thing we always do?
Corrina: Put away shoes!??
Dad: okay and what has to happen after we put away our shoes, before we can wrestle?
Corrina: eat dinner!
Dad: What else?
Corrina: what else?
Dad: Do the dishes...
Corrina: Brush Teeth!
Dad: Bingo!
So, then whenever she gets off track, I just hold up my hand and reiterate the process. Oftentimes, simply holding up the fingers of the items we've completed will jar her memory of the next thing we gotta check off the checklist.
As she got older and was excited to learn how to write we would make checklists on notecards. Now, I was experimenting with notecards in my business, and she saw me using them on a daily basis. It intrigued her, so we made lists for ourselves during Daddy-Daughter time.
She now knows how to use them. Even though we've gone back to the ever-convenient hand for tracking what we gotta do, she has worked with the process on paper and it is like the rings of a tree as she develops that patterning will resonate out and shape her future experience. When she is older, I expect we will revisit this, and it will not be totally foreign. Something inside her will resonate with the principles, and respond to another lesson around upgrading her checklists - both mentally and on paper.
Making checklists is something we all do anyway. They are powerful scripts running in our lives that we would do well to master. Helping our children master these scripts by teaching them how to write and improve them in their own minds feels almost like a moral obligation to me.
What do you think?
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
So, here's this insight:
Teach your child to consciously develop mental checklists so they know how to make and improve checklists in their minds. (Hint: put the steps on paper and run through them while revising, then memorize/habituate the new routine.)
I like to use my hand as a counting tool. I think 3 things are manageable for a young child, so I'll put up my fist and stick out my pinky and call that the step where we do what Corrina wants to do. Then I'll stick out my thumb and have that be the next step I want her to take. Usually it's something simple just to get her on track and feeling accomplished. So, when she was 4-5 it was taking our shoes off when we get in the house and putting them away properly. Something consistent that she could rely on. Something familiar to reduce anxiety and build good habits around the house or whatever teaching environment. (Which I learned from Montessori Primary - Practical Life skills.)
So the conversation would go something like this:
Corrina: Dad can we wrestle when we get home?
Dad: Absolutely. What has to happen before we can wrestle?
Corrina: Ummmm...
Dad: Okay when we get home what's the first thing we always do?
Corrina: Put away shoes!??
Dad: okay and what has to happen after we put away our shoes, before we can wrestle?
Corrina: eat dinner!
Dad: What else?
Corrina: what else?
Dad: Do the dishes...
Corrina: Brush Teeth!
Dad: Bingo!
So, then whenever she gets off track, I just hold up my hand and reiterate the process. Oftentimes, simply holding up the fingers of the items we've completed will jar her memory of the next thing we gotta check off the checklist.
As she got older and was excited to learn how to write we would make checklists on notecards. Now, I was experimenting with notecards in my business, and she saw me using them on a daily basis. It intrigued her, so we made lists for ourselves during Daddy-Daughter time.
She now knows how to use them. Even though we've gone back to the ever-convenient hand for tracking what we gotta do, she has worked with the process on paper and it is like the rings of a tree as she develops that patterning will resonate out and shape her future experience. When she is older, I expect we will revisit this, and it will not be totally foreign. Something inside her will resonate with the principles, and respond to another lesson around upgrading her checklists - both mentally and on paper.
Making checklists is something we all do anyway. They are powerful scripts running in our lives that we would do well to master. Helping our children master these scripts by teaching them how to write and improve them in their own minds feels almost like a moral obligation to me.
What do you think?
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Does Your Child Work From a Checklist?
Pilots work from a checklist. There's a LOT to remember. Any one thing forgotten could cost lives and fortunes. Firemen, doctors, attorneys, great salesmen, even artists and dancers if you look closely enough... they all use checklists. True, some of them aren't on paper, in binders called Operating Manuals. Precisely my point...
We all do it, actually. We get up in the morning and we run our routine. When we go to take our shower we have a little routine that we run. Firs this, then this, then this... oh I better trim these... we are running through a mental checklist.
When I got up to leave the park yesterday my mind did a quick scan: keys, cash, cell phone and anything... anything... oh, yeah - sunglasses that I left in the grass!!! (That's actually what prompted today's post.)
What I was suddenly conscious of (though I've studied this application in personal and professional development for years) was the UN-consciuos process, or "checklist," that my mind went through to take care of me. I can think of LOTS of times in my life when I haven't had good checklists, and I forgot things... like deodorant ;-p
So, here's the insight:
If your child is developing checklists unconsciously, help make them conscious. I like to ask Corrina after she enthusiastically asks me to move on to the next activity, "What's gotta get done before we can do that?"
This puts her in a helpful, receptive state and she begins to seek answers to the question in her mind. She knows she can't proceed until certain things are complete, and she's apt to lay a shoulder in if she can help speed things along. This is a great parenting device, and it gets her thinking in checklists.
So, the next step is to make that checklist process conscious. I'll discuss that in my next post.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
We all do it, actually. We get up in the morning and we run our routine. When we go to take our shower we have a little routine that we run. Firs this, then this, then this... oh I better trim these... we are running through a mental checklist.
When I got up to leave the park yesterday my mind did a quick scan: keys, cash, cell phone and anything... anything... oh, yeah - sunglasses that I left in the grass!!! (That's actually what prompted today's post.)
What I was suddenly conscious of (though I've studied this application in personal and professional development for years) was the UN-consciuos process, or "checklist," that my mind went through to take care of me. I can think of LOTS of times in my life when I haven't had good checklists, and I forgot things... like deodorant ;-p
So, here's the insight:
If your child is developing checklists unconsciously, help make them conscious. I like to ask Corrina after she enthusiastically asks me to move on to the next activity, "What's gotta get done before we can do that?"
This puts her in a helpful, receptive state and she begins to seek answers to the question in her mind. She knows she can't proceed until certain things are complete, and she's apt to lay a shoulder in if she can help speed things along. This is a great parenting device, and it gets her thinking in checklists.
So, the next step is to make that checklist process conscious. I'll discuss that in my next post.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
What is Friendship?
Normally, I'd go straight to Dictionary.com and settle this straight away. Whatever prompted me to write about this is also prompting me to come up with my own definitions first. I think that's a sound plan, so let's proceed ;-]
Friendship is one of those maleable terms. It means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and tends to mean different things at different times.
The simplest definition I can come up with is simply: affinity, liking
Friendship is mutual liking. It's feeling connected on some level and desiring good relations with another.
Certainly things only get more complex from there, but as a basic definition, that satisfies me.
What sort of complex manipulations we pull on ourselves and one another. The other day I saw two three-year-olds playing and getting acquainted. Maybe it was their astrology, or mutual cute-ness, or proximity and gender, or maybe that's just 3-year olds for ya... but they engaged in mutual liking of the purest form.
What happens to us as we get older that causes us to ply our friendships with emotional and psychological posturing in order to get our way? Is communication that difficult?
Being in touch with my heart and speaking congruently with its purity is one of my highest life aspirations.
In this regard, I'm pray that I end up learning more from my daughter than she from me.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Friendship is one of those maleable terms. It means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and tends to mean different things at different times.
The simplest definition I can come up with is simply: affinity, liking
Friendship is mutual liking. It's feeling connected on some level and desiring good relations with another.
Certainly things only get more complex from there, but as a basic definition, that satisfies me.
What sort of complex manipulations we pull on ourselves and one another. The other day I saw two three-year-olds playing and getting acquainted. Maybe it was their astrology, or mutual cute-ness, or proximity and gender, or maybe that's just 3-year olds for ya... but they engaged in mutual liking of the purest form.
What happens to us as we get older that causes us to ply our friendships with emotional and psychological posturing in order to get our way? Is communication that difficult?
Being in touch with my heart and speaking congruently with its purity is one of my highest life aspirations.
In this regard, I'm pray that I end up learning more from my daughter than she from me.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
What Do 21st Century Knowledge Workers Need To Know if They Are Only 13 Still...
First of all, MOST of the fundamentals still apply. Gravity will get ya, and so will a lot of other truisms about life. so stay keen for them and collect them like jewels.
Secondly, a lot of what you hear floating around that passes for advice or common sense is DEAD NUTS WRONG. You gotta be prepared to make up your own mind on EVERY SINGLE ITEM of Information or Emotion that crosses your radar field. That means you have to have a well-tuned mind and an ability to recognize patterns.
Pattern recognition is huge. The sooner you learn to generalize with pattern recognition, the more time you save yourself figuring out that if you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting what you've been getting all along.
So learn to recognize patterns and think in constructs. You have to actively build your philosophy of life, and that's why I recommend starting with the fundamentals - Jim Rohn is a good place to start.
Then finally, make sure you are in touch with your genius. Know the answer to or be asking these three questions at all times until you have a lock on the place they all overlap. Then DIG DEEP! Life is short and you gotta take your chances when you see them line up in your sites!
Here are the 3 questions:
1.) What can I be the best in the world at (hint: there's Riches in Niches)
2.) What do I LOVE doing so much I'd do it for no pay at all. (or, if you had a $100MM inheritance...)
3.) How can I monetize what I know and deliver it in a way that supports my purpose and lifestyle?
When you have an answer to those questions, then you'll be free like Neo in the Matrix!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Secondly, a lot of what you hear floating around that passes for advice or common sense is DEAD NUTS WRONG. You gotta be prepared to make up your own mind on EVERY SINGLE ITEM of Information or Emotion that crosses your radar field. That means you have to have a well-tuned mind and an ability to recognize patterns.
Pattern recognition is huge. The sooner you learn to generalize with pattern recognition, the more time you save yourself figuring out that if you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting what you've been getting all along.
So learn to recognize patterns and think in constructs. You have to actively build your philosophy of life, and that's why I recommend starting with the fundamentals - Jim Rohn is a good place to start.
Then finally, make sure you are in touch with your genius. Know the answer to or be asking these three questions at all times until you have a lock on the place they all overlap. Then DIG DEEP! Life is short and you gotta take your chances when you see them line up in your sites!
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."
~Goethe
Here are the 3 questions:
1.) What can I be the best in the world at (hint: there's Riches in Niches)
2.) What do I LOVE doing so much I'd do it for no pay at all. (or, if you had a $100MM inheritance...)
3.) How can I monetize what I know and deliver it in a way that supports my purpose and lifestyle?
When you have an answer to those questions, then you'll be free like Neo in the Matrix!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Have You Seen the Enlightened Child Mandala?
When Corrina was born Jen's uncle gave us a family ToyBox, which I promptly turned into a canvas, adding the elements of astrology, the yin-yang and other esoteric symbols. Four years later, it looked like this:
Corrina just turned 8 and I am preparing to launch the whole "Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education" this year.
A big part of launching the philosophy is reacquainting myself with the tools and elements of the curriculum that I compiled in the original birthing of the ToyBox Mandala.
If you can't see it, the Mandala showcases esoteric representations for each number 1 through 12.
Recently, after cleaning the Yoga studio at the Zen Center, I found some old display panels that I thought to myself, "These would make a great canvas!"
To follow the saga of the Enlightened Child Mandala, check out my flickr site.
I'll post pics here from time to time as well. Or check back: flickr site.
Looking forward to hearing from you about what you're learning, or what you can teach about each aspect of the Mandala!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Corrina just turned 8 and I am preparing to launch the whole "Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education" this year.
A big part of launching the philosophy is reacquainting myself with the tools and elements of the curriculum that I compiled in the original birthing of the ToyBox Mandala.
If you can't see it, the Mandala showcases esoteric representations for each number 1 through 12.
Recently, after cleaning the Yoga studio at the Zen Center, I found some old display panels that I thought to myself, "These would make a great canvas!"
To follow the saga of the Enlightened Child Mandala, check out my flickr site.
I'll post pics here from time to time as well. Or check back: flickr site.
Looking forward to hearing from you about what you're learning, or what you can teach about each aspect of the Mandala!
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Is Astrology Worth Examining or Not?
Ever since college when my friend did my astrological birth chart, I have been totally intrigued by the idea that I could learn about myself and others, and our relationships through this ancient system.
A funny story: Back in college at the UW - Madison, my good friend Adam shot me down when I attempted to learn about his chart. He gave me a false birthday. When I read his sign to him he asked me if I thought that sounded like him. I could see how it fit. Then he told me, with a Scorpionic sneer, that he had lied about his birthday and therefore astrology was a load of garbage. Ironically, he is now a professional astrologer: www.theskyisyou.com
This week I'm staying with him in Denver. Not surprisingly, he will read and explain a whole bunch of astrological jargon and then look me dead in the eye and say something like, "Astrolgy is such BS." And it is... yet it's also eerily true in more cases than not - especially when you get under the covers and really explore the deep intricacies of your chart.
Or your child's chart!
(You can get a free Chart for yourself and your child at Astro.com. I highly recommend it. What you learn will help you understand yourself, your child, and the dynamics of your relationship. It's not hard science, true. But the insights will blow your mind.)
Adam's been studying Uranus quite a bit, and gave me a book that details some of the finer points of how this planet can affect.
What I read fit very much with the experiences I've been having the past week. Especially since my Boulder experiences.
The upshot of the book relative to my chart (I have a Uranus/Moon conjuction - which means they are very close together) helped me understand the "Soul DNA" that inspires me to develop the Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education.
Uranus energy has to do with profound insight, brilliance, talent and enlightenment.
Moon energy is associated with emotions, home, nurturing and childhood.
Uranus = Enlightened
Moon = Child
How could I possible make something like that up? There's no way. It's just uncanny.
How does this help me? Well, not only does it validate my own path, it affirms that by helping parents, teachers and children to understand themselves through deep exploration with systems like Astrology (among others - I believe in a "triangulated verification") they can come to know themselves much more intimately and navigate their lives and relationships much more gracefully than just winging it while flying blind. Learning only through trial and error, with no objective reference for personal typology or tendency.
(Being adopted, this method has been my best means of self-understanding. I sincerely wish my parents had taken an interest in how we can know one another more intimately using this tool.)
Another great book Adam showed me is called An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar. Here's the quote that blew me away today and inspired me to write about what I learned in this post:
I'm gonna stop there because it's already dense enough for this light-hearted blog, but as you can see, the passion I feel for creating a system of educational enlightenment by teaching children the wisdom contained in simple esoteric symbols like the yin-yang and... ironically, astrology, is well founded in my "Soul DNA."
The rest of the passage goes on to talk about how the most characteristic of human natures is to "bind time" or transfer to others yet unborn the hard-won insights and knowledge of those who have come before. It's trans-generational mentoring. It's conscious participation in cosmic evolution.
It's so COOL!
If you've learned anything profound about yourself from a system like Astrology, the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, etc... I'd love to hear your story. Feel free to share in the comments.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
A funny story: Back in college at the UW - Madison, my good friend Adam shot me down when I attempted to learn about his chart. He gave me a false birthday. When I read his sign to him he asked me if I thought that sounded like him. I could see how it fit. Then he told me, with a Scorpionic sneer, that he had lied about his birthday and therefore astrology was a load of garbage. Ironically, he is now a professional astrologer: www.theskyisyou.com
This week I'm staying with him in Denver. Not surprisingly, he will read and explain a whole bunch of astrological jargon and then look me dead in the eye and say something like, "Astrolgy is such BS." And it is... yet it's also eerily true in more cases than not - especially when you get under the covers and really explore the deep intricacies of your chart.
Or your child's chart!
(You can get a free Chart for yourself and your child at Astro.com. I highly recommend it. What you learn will help you understand yourself, your child, and the dynamics of your relationship. It's not hard science, true. But the insights will blow your mind.)
Adam's been studying Uranus quite a bit, and gave me a book that details some of the finer points of how this planet can affect.
What I read fit very much with the experiences I've been having the past week. Especially since my Boulder experiences.
The upshot of the book relative to my chart (I have a Uranus/Moon conjuction - which means they are very close together) helped me understand the "Soul DNA" that inspires me to develop the Enlightened Child Philosophy of Education.
Uranus energy has to do with profound insight, brilliance, talent and enlightenment.
Moon energy is associated with emotions, home, nurturing and childhood.
Uranus = Enlightened
Moon = Child
How could I possible make something like that up? There's no way. It's just uncanny.
How does this help me? Well, not only does it validate my own path, it affirms that by helping parents, teachers and children to understand themselves through deep exploration with systems like Astrology (among others - I believe in a "triangulated verification") they can come to know themselves much more intimately and navigate their lives and relationships much more gracefully than just winging it while flying blind. Learning only through trial and error, with no objective reference for personal typology or tendency.
(Being adopted, this method has been my best means of self-understanding. I sincerely wish my parents had taken an interest in how we can know one another more intimately using this tool.)
Another great book Adam showed me is called An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar. Here's the quote that blew me away today and inspired me to write about what I learned in this post:
Phase 209 - Libra 29 degree (my moon): Mankind's vast and enduring effort to reach for knowledge transferable from generation to generation.
Keynote: A deep sense of participation in, and commitment to, social processes which seek to bring all men Truth and greater Life.
I'm gonna stop there because it's already dense enough for this light-hearted blog, but as you can see, the passion I feel for creating a system of educational enlightenment by teaching children the wisdom contained in simple esoteric symbols like the yin-yang and... ironically, astrology, is well founded in my "Soul DNA."
The rest of the passage goes on to talk about how the most characteristic of human natures is to "bind time" or transfer to others yet unborn the hard-won insights and knowledge of those who have come before. It's trans-generational mentoring. It's conscious participation in cosmic evolution.
It's so COOL!
If you've learned anything profound about yourself from a system like Astrology, the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, etc... I'd love to hear your story. Feel free to share in the comments.
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
Are You Harming Your body with Yoga?
It's true - Yoga can seriously wreck ya!
I have been practicing on and off for 15 years. My back is not trashed, but it's not as solid as it should be.
In Chicago I practiced with various teachers 3-5 times per week for 18 months.
Now that I'm in Rochester, I'm taking with Francois Raoult at Open Sky and I am realizing how poorly my practice has been affecting my body due to a lack of TRUE understanding about how the body works and what certain poses are intended to stretch.
Doing anything improperly over a period of time is deleterious to our health. Smoking and drinking are a good example. Have a smoke, have a drink... it won't kill ya. Smoke & drink a pack a day and you will see steep declines in health, energy and self-esteem. Eventually, it will rot you out.
While a well-informed yoga practice is one of the best things you can do on a regular basis for health, longevity and well-being, all yoga teachers are NOT the same. In fact, most yoga teachers suck (there, I said it) and you should NOT trust them with your body.
Taking a weekend-long "yoga fit" certification does not a teacher make. Even dedicated practitioners with decades of experience could steer you wrong, or leave you hanging. It's true of any teacher, mentor or professional.
The reason I trust Francois is because he CLEARLY understands anatomy, physiology, energy, meditation and how poses can help or hurt the body depending on minute nuances that most teachers are ignorant of.
He is currently training a batch of students - some of whom have traveled from across the country to spend 6 months with him. We've had several conversations about their shock, awe and excitement about how their understanding is deepening. Who knew???
So, the question is: How do you know when your teachers are truly serving you, or hindering you from true health, wealth and connection?
It's critical. Especially for our children. I know I've had many guitar teachers in my youth that ruined me as a musician. Not because they made me "worse" but because when I was young and unfettered by responsibility and had all the time in the world to practice they failed to challenge me, inform my mind and body with truly worthwhile training and inspiration, and in general just sucked.
Here's the deal:
1.) Interview 5-10 local teachers for yourself or your child.
2.) Ask them about their philosophy, teaching style and experience.
3.) Ask them who THEY would take lessons from.
4.) Call the 1-3 people whose name keeps coming up.
5.) Don't skimp on price or distance.
If you have to, take fewer, higher quality lessons with the best teachers you can find. Teachers who, as Emerson admonishes, "will inspire us to be what we know we could be."
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
I have been practicing on and off for 15 years. My back is not trashed, but it's not as solid as it should be.
In Chicago I practiced with various teachers 3-5 times per week for 18 months.
Now that I'm in Rochester, I'm taking with Francois Raoult at Open Sky and I am realizing how poorly my practice has been affecting my body due to a lack of TRUE understanding about how the body works and what certain poses are intended to stretch.
Doing anything improperly over a period of time is deleterious to our health. Smoking and drinking are a good example. Have a smoke, have a drink... it won't kill ya. Smoke & drink a pack a day and you will see steep declines in health, energy and self-esteem. Eventually, it will rot you out.
While a well-informed yoga practice is one of the best things you can do on a regular basis for health, longevity and well-being, all yoga teachers are NOT the same. In fact, most yoga teachers suck (there, I said it) and you should NOT trust them with your body.
Taking a weekend-long "yoga fit" certification does not a teacher make. Even dedicated practitioners with decades of experience could steer you wrong, or leave you hanging. It's true of any teacher, mentor or professional.
The reason I trust Francois is because he CLEARLY understands anatomy, physiology, energy, meditation and how poses can help or hurt the body depending on minute nuances that most teachers are ignorant of.
He is currently training a batch of students - some of whom have traveled from across the country to spend 6 months with him. We've had several conversations about their shock, awe and excitement about how their understanding is deepening. Who knew???
So, the question is: How do you know when your teachers are truly serving you, or hindering you from true health, wealth and connection?
It's critical. Especially for our children. I know I've had many guitar teachers in my youth that ruined me as a musician. Not because they made me "worse" but because when I was young and unfettered by responsibility and had all the time in the world to practice they failed to challenge me, inform my mind and body with truly worthwhile training and inspiration, and in general just sucked.
Here's the deal:
1.) Interview 5-10 local teachers for yourself or your child.
2.) Ask them about their philosophy, teaching style and experience.
3.) Ask them who THEY would take lessons from.
4.) Call the 1-3 people whose name keeps coming up.
5.) Don't skimp on price or distance.
If you have to, take fewer, higher quality lessons with the best teachers you can find. Teachers who, as Emerson admonishes, "will inspire us to be what we know we could be."
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
How Do You Define Genius?
Have you ever thought about it?
What really is a genius, or "genius" itself?
Google it, you get a Wikipedia entry at the top that says:
Which makes good sense.
A dear friend of mine once defined a genius as, "someone who knows what they don't know."
How could you know something you don't know?
Look more closely at the grammar: Knows what they don't know. They can say, without feeling inadequate, that they do not know something. they are self-aware enough to honestly appraise their situation and admit to themselves, or others, that they are ignorant on the details of some categorical subject matter. They don't throw out some "intuitive" guess, or gloss over it in their own minds, operating semi-consciously on erroneous assumptions.
So, by that definition, a genius is someone who questions assumptions, norms and mores.
I'm not saying I'm a genius because I question the government, the FDA, the schooling system, etc... Though I do claim there is a correlation between genius and asking the big questions in life.
So, maybe a genius is someone who asks good questions, and doesn't seek to resolve complex conundrums, but tolerates the ambiguity and paradox long enough to open their mind to something profound and transcendent, embracing the light of experience and a new perception not previous available at the level of thinking that the question was asked at.
What do you think defines genius?
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
What really is a genius, or "genius" itself?
Google it, you get a Wikipedia entry at the top that says:
A genius is an individual who successfully applies a previously unknown technique in the production of a work of art, science, or calculation, or who masters and personalizes a known technique. A genius typically possesses great intelligence or remarkable abilities in a specific subject, or shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and/or ability, especially in the production of creative and original work, something that has never been seen or evaluated previously. Traits often associated with genius include strong individuality, imagination, uniqueness, and innovative drive[citation needed].
The term may be applied to someone who is considered gifted in many subjects[1] or in one subject.
Although the term "genius" is sometimes used to denote the possession of a superior talent in any field, e.g. a particular sport or statesmanship, it has traditionally been understood to denote an exceptional natural capacity of intellect and creative originality in areas of art, literature, philosophy, music, language, science and mathematics.
Which makes good sense.
A dear friend of mine once defined a genius as, "someone who knows what they don't know."
How could you know something you don't know?
Look more closely at the grammar: Knows what they don't know. They can say, without feeling inadequate, that they do not know something. they are self-aware enough to honestly appraise their situation and admit to themselves, or others, that they are ignorant on the details of some categorical subject matter. They don't throw out some "intuitive" guess, or gloss over it in their own minds, operating semi-consciously on erroneous assumptions.
So, by that definition, a genius is someone who questions assumptions, norms and mores.
I'm not saying I'm a genius because I question the government, the FDA, the schooling system, etc... Though I do claim there is a correlation between genius and asking the big questions in life.
So, maybe a genius is someone who asks good questions, and doesn't seek to resolve complex conundrums, but tolerates the ambiguity and paradox long enough to open their mind to something profound and transcendent, embracing the light of experience and a new perception not previous available at the level of thinking that the question was asked at.
What do you think defines genius?
Cheers,
Craig
to see original post and all my social media links, visit: www.enlightenedchild.com
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