Author: alearningaday

Every once a while in negotiations, when the stakes aren’t all that high, it is nice to compromise a bit to give the other person the feeling they got a good deal.

“Learning is the realization of something that changes how we behave.” | Timothy Gallwey, The Inner Game of Tennis

This definition of learning resonated. To learn and not to do is not to learn.

It is also why, in retrospect, I think this blog should probably have been called – a reminder a day or something along those lines.

Learning – the kind that actually changes behavior – is hard. We take two steps back before we take three steps forward. And it needs us to practice patience and kindness while we stumble through the process.

Daily reminders to do that are a big step forward to making meaningful change.

It just isn’t possible to do it everyday.

Perhaps that’s what the name really does – it reminds me of how little I knew about learning when I started on this journey. :-)

Regularly scheduled spring cleanings/decluttering days are an underrated saving strategy. They accomplish two things at once. They…

(1) …help us understand what we have at home and prevent accidental (repeat) purchases.

(2) …remind us just how little we actually need. When it comes to stuff we own, more is definitely not better.

A leader’s long-term effectiveness is directly proportional to their willingness to have uncomfortable conversations and to do so with grace.

The only difference between productivity and activity is the presence of a goal.

And if said goal doesn’t have a schedule and dates against it, it is just a dream.

The hardest part of getting into a good habit is often the part that involves getting out of a bad one.

It is why patience and kindness are powerful allies in our quest for change.

If it were easy, we’d have done it by now.

A good friend shared a question she was asked by a coach – how often are you listening to learn vs. listening to respond or defend or argue?

She talked about how that question got her reflecting on what she could do better.

It is a profound question. One that nudged me to increase the percentage of time I listen to learn vs. respond.

We watched “Rise” with our kids recently. It is a wonderful movie about the 3 Antetokounmpo brothers who grew up as illegal immigrants in Greece to win NBA championships. It is one of those stories that sparks conversations that give you perspective. It also explain why Giannis Antetokounmpo is such an inspiring person.

There’s adversity and strife behind all that insight.

The movie reminded me of an exchange between Giannis and a reporter at the end of last season that went viral. The reporter asked him whether he considered the season a failure?

The whole response is worth watching in full. Here are the highlights –

Do you get a promotion every year at your job? No, right? So every year, your work is a failure? No. Every year, you work towards something, which is a goal: It’s to get a promotion, to be able to take care of your family, provide a house for them, or take care of your parents. It’s not a failure, it’s steps to success. There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played for 15 years and won 6 championships. The other 9 years were a failure? That’s what you’re telling me.

There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days, some days you are able to be successful, some days you’re not, some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn. That’s what sport’s about. You don’t always win, some other people are gonna win. And this year, someone else is gonna win. Simple as that. 

So 50 years from 1971-2021 that we didn’t win a championship, it was 50 years of failure? No it was not, there were steps to it, and we were able to win one, hopefully we can win another one.

True story.. and hard earned insight.

“You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.” | Ted Lasso

A lesson I can’t be reminded of enough.

Here’s to more goldfish.

#OurWorldIsAwesome – Edition 2

---

We’re learning a tremendous amount about our impact on the planet. And it is really easy to get down about what’s happening. The earth is as hot as it has ever been. Arctic ice is melting at a scary pace – the number of animals and humans around the world facing adverse weather is on the up.

My philosophy when it comes to thinking about this is to embrace reality and deal in hope. And one way I become more hopeful is when I think about the many people around the world who get to experience incredible sights. For every 10 who sees something spectacular, I’m hopeful 3 contemplate the challenges ahead, and 1 takes systemic action.

The US National Park system is one of those avenues of hope. They do fantastic work protecting some incredible sights. And perhaps none more incredible or wondrous than Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park, established in 1872, was the first national park in the US and (likely) the first in the world. One way to make sense of this fact – it must have taken something wondrous for man to stop plundering nature and think about conservation. Yellowstone National Park is indeed all that.

There are so many incredible facts about Yellowstone National Park. One that sticks with me is that it has more than half the world’s known geysers and geothermal features. It is also the equivalent of the Serengeti in North America with free-roaming herds of bison, elk, bears, and wolves.

There are three things that stayed with me from our visit to Yellowstone National Park.

The geysers are wondrous. This geyser “Grand” erupts up to 200 feet for 9-12 minutes every couple of hours. And, of course, there’s the Old Faithful that faithfully erupts every 45 minutes.

The sights from the geothermal features are incredible – they need to be seen to be believed. The greatest of them all is the Grand Prismatic.

And then the wildlife. The Bison roaming around are majestic and nimble (they possess ridiculous acceleration). And there are few sights more amazing than seeing a North American grizzly bear playing with her cub off the side of a road. We spent a couple of hours just transfixed – watching another mom and son pair playing.

The word that best describes Yellowstone National Park is wondrous. Its uniqueness inspires wonder and appreciation for our world.