Mediocrity?

I have no desire for Mediocrity!

 “Why should any of us, settle for a life, less than the best it can be.  Who is it that sets us on this path to normal?  Who am I sending down that road?”

 Personal development starts with our first breath and one way or another only ends with our last.  Whether we choose to proactively give input to what our own development will be, is really the biggest life decision we will make.  If we choose not to control our own personal development, others will.  If we choose to take control ourselves, we then direct our own destiny.

 Where are you headed and who is telling you where to go.

 Have a great weekend! Ross

Focus!

What limits the achievement of almost anyone is an inability to focus.  Years ago I would have proclaimed, “it’s your lack of focus” but after raising 4 kids of my own, coaching 100′s and reviewing my own personal challenges with focus, I have changed my belief.  Researching A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. are the reasons why I changed.

After studying how the mind works when it comes to “Deliberate Practice” it is clear a properly functioning brain plays a much greater role in success, at any endeavour, than I could have imagined.  Unless we have a properly functioning brain preforming at it’s peak potential we simply cannot expect to be able to Practice in a deliberate way.   Since “Deliberate Practice” relies almost totally on Brain stimulation and subsequent signals being sent to the muscles, without great Brain function it is simply impossible.

Turning to how the brain works we need to be sure we support our brains in a manner that supports optimum brain health.  We need nutrition, exercise and stimulation to make our brains work properly.  Omega 3′s, oxygen rushing to our brains and dealing with multiple tasks are the prime areas to attack.  This needs to be started at youth and carried on until old age. 

I will leave this topic for your outside research but I will take this moment to make a firm suggestion.  Bring Omega 3′s into you and your families daily lives.  Studies are now appearing everywhere that proves Omega 3′s are lacking in our diets and we need them.  There are excellent supplements on the market right now that give us proper amounts of fresh Omega 3′s.  I wish every child in the world was given a free daily dose but until then it will be left in our hands to spread the word.

Ross

Test for Kindee Eggs

Ideally a motivation/passion test is conducted early in life.  Since Motivation is at it’s highest development levels between 3 and 9 what if every Kindergarten teacher administered a test?  What would it look like?  Could knowing a child’s area of interest or passion assist them in the school environment?  The following is a suggested test for a child upon first entering a Kindergarten class for the first time.

She is brought to the door of the class and encouraged to enter and go or do anything she wants.  The teacher alone stands at the door and monitors.

Inside the room is set up with 5 centers.  One area for art, music, construction, sports and animals.  The centers are filled with toys appropriate to the topic. 

The child is left alone for 30 minutes but monitored.  Can the teacher tell what center the child is thrilled about. 

Maybe the test is simplistic and needs revision but you get the idea.  Each child would chose differently and the teacher could do varying tests on an ongoing basis but without external stimuli or input from others it would be interesting to see what was learned.

It’s an open topic.

Ross

The Passion/Motivation Test version 2

OK, so I have tested the test below with adults in a greater personal development group in am involved with.  From that test I learned my instructions should have been clearer. 

Ideally the Motivation Test is designed to be presented by a coach/mentor.  The subject should have no knowledge of the impending 2 questions or even that they would be asked any questions at all.  The exercise is to open the mind and then initiate a response that is unscripted.   Ultimately if you know what is coming it won’t work.

I will be posting a YOUTUBE video of the test which will reveal nothing about the test.  I will post that link here as soon as it is uploaded.  We will test it in that format to see if the responses are more unscripted.

I encouarge all coaches/mentors, teachers and parents to come up with their own version of the test.  I would be especially interested in any Kindergarten or Grade 1/2 teachers ideas on tests they could create to see what motivates or is the passion of a young child entering their class.  I suspect you can see where I am going with this topic.

Regards Ross

The Motivation Test!

Define what Motivates You.

Sit in a quiet room.
Close your eyes.
Imagine you are sitting on the top of the highest mountain peak on a plateau that provides you complete protection and safety.
The air is perfectly clean. You can see no other peaks but only the clearest blue sky painted by the odd whisp of clouds.
You can feel a slight breeze blowing against your face at a temperature you like the best.
You smell only clean fresh air.
When you get to this state:

Answer the first response that comes to this question. What do I love the most?
Answer this next question with an immediate response. When do I feel the best?

I suspect you gave two answers that were related to one another. Here is how my 16 year old son responded.

Basketball.
When I am dunking the ball.

Both of these answers were immediate and came without preparation. He had no idea of why I was asking him to sit with his eyes closed and go through the process. When I sprung the questions upon him, he answered without wavering.

What we had just done was discover what motivates him at this time. Of all the answers he could have given, video games, tv, listening to music, his girl friend, getting together with his friends, his job, working with kids, coaching, boating, alcohol, pot, etc., he answered basketball. Now 2 months ago I would have suspected this answer but not today. Today I expected something else. (I was happy!)

What motivates you? Have someone give you the test! Give it to someone yourself. Make a version of the test yourself?

Regards Ross

Hello world!

I have moved my coaching blog to wordpress and and focusing my blogging, including my business blog on my personally branded site, on the concept of Deliberate Practice as it relates to personal development and excellence.  I am not carrying over any old posts from my previous blogs but instead will revisit topics.  This blog will be a crossover with a single NEW focus on the principle of achieving Excellence and Greatness.  I have also registered deliberatepractice.wordpress.com and will post on both blogs testing various formats.