Paradigms

I was in a total dwaal - a daze - after Jan called, and I was also like: what the hell are you doing? What's going on with you?

I didn't have anything in the fridge so I just got some clothes, still damp, and then saw that it was pointless going to school because everyone would have left for lunch.

So I put on Tony Robbins and found some bread.
I chewed on a piece and listened absently. A few nights earlier I played something by Covey, an audio version of 7 Habits. I found material I'd prepared for my adult class on the table. An article from Men's Health on how to prevent cancer, and then it hit me that actually giving them a lesson on Effectiveness would help them and me. Covey says, after all, teach what you need to learn - it is the best way to absorb it.

So I did that today. I didn't sit down for a moment, and I just felt so energised. I started off bringing up the point that Mr Gold Rimmed Glasses had said, yesterday, he felt the lesson was "So-so."
I said an athlete can not perform if he does not go out and do the training, do the work. No matter how much he listens to the coach, reads books on running, watches sport on TV, at the end of the day it is about action. Same with English. Same with everything. I said no matter how well I teach, whether I am a 5 star teacher giving Powerpoint presentations every day, or the material is boring - the results will depend on what each student DOES!

I showed them the picture of the old woman who also looks like a young, rich, beautiful woman with her head slightly turned. One student (Mr Gold Rimmed Glasses) could only see the old lady, but the either guy, after about 2 minutes, recognised the young lady. But Mr Gold Rimmed Glasses couldn't see her. I showed her that the big nose of the old lady was really the jawline of the young lady. Nothing. No, it's an old lady. Couldn't see it. We both showed him that the mouth of the old lady was necklace of the young lady. Nope.
Eventually he got it.
Eventually...Aha!

I began to talk to them about a paradigm shift, that we see everything and think what we see is normal, but the glasses we wear may be tinting the world yellow, or red, or blue. One person sees an old lady, another sees a young lady. What are you seeing? If you can change what you see, and see what is really there (instead of what you're in the habit of seeing), then you can consciously make yourself more effective. In business, in your relationships, here - learning English. Good eh!

I felt like Robbins or Lipkin. It wasn't fake hype, or emptyspeak, it was just genuine motivation. Stimulus and response. You can choose your responce. Use your awareness, use your imagination, use your conscience, use your independent will to find the best response. Don't be automatic. Shift your paradigm, get proactive (habit number one) by putting something into that direct line that is causing your autmated responses. Get conscious. This type of thing. Mr Gold Rimmed Glasses, responded, I asked them to be more accountable, I asked them for more preparation. I felt I had created change, I had sown a seed.

It was good for me to go over this stuff again. Especially on a day that I felt I have been less effective, and coming to the end of a month, that has been, in terms of triathlon training, sub par.

Daniel wrote a comment that Ryk got so little airtime, and I gave my power away. Maybe, but the issue was important. I got it back today, and I got myself back too.
The difference between today and yesterday is that while yesterday I meant to go to gym, today I am.

Right now.