This past weekend, my son, Josiah, had basketball workouts. Josiah was not moving the way he normally moves on the basketball court. Immediately, my husband went into his ‘research mode.’ If my husband does not know the answer, he will look it up. He asked Josiah some questions about possible symptoms. They problem-solved together and then purchased insoles for Josiah’s shoes. Once he had the insoles, we bought him some new basketball shoes.
Guess what happened when Josiah used the new insoles and shoes in the next games? His feet did not hurt and he was executing his defense and offense with intentionality, free from pain. The conditions were created for us to explore a viable solution so Josiah could focus on his basketball game. Sometimes we do not remove the barriers – we try to work around the barriers. We do not have to work so hard if we deal with the barriers that take away from the fullness of every experience. We have to prepare to be the best version of ourselves.
“Tweaking your mindset starts with questioning notions about yourself and the world that may seem set in stone – and that might be working against what matters to you – and then making the active choice to turn yourself toward learning, experimentation, and growth.” -Susan David, Ph.D.
This experience brought me back to a quote by Dr. Susan David that I have been reflecting on for several months. She described how to allow your mindset to evolve through questioning concepts that a person believes are unchangeable. Sometimes the things we believe are unchangeable do not serve our evolution or current need to become the best version of ourselves. Josiah could have responded differently by communicating he was moving normal. He could have dealt with the pain and refused to make any changes. He could have said the shoes he had on at the workouts are his favorite shoes. Remember it the movie Like Mike (2002). The entire quote is at the top of this paragraph, but what I keep reflecting on is the latter part, “… and then making the active choice to turn yourself toward learning, experimentation, and growth.”
How does learning, experimentation, and growth show up in my daily life?
Dr. David’s quote provides a quick reflective opportunity.
First, have I actively committed to turning towards being the best version of myself? What is my evidence?
Second, have I fully committed to being an active participant in my learning, experimentation, and growth? What is my evidence?
This does not mean perfection, this is commitment and engagement as it relates to my learning, experimentation, and growth. Remember all of us (Josiah, my husband, and I) were involved in the process to provide the resources for Josiah to have what he needed to be effective on the court.
How often do we create the conditions for collaboration, feedback, and experimentation? This applies to our personal relationships, collaborative networks, and student-teacher interactions.
How do we allow for experimentation with learning and growth? How am I comfortable to fail forward and make mistakes?
Third, how do I monitor my growth for personal, professional, and educational aspirations?
You can revise those points (personal, professional, and educational) depending on your goals or the target areas you may have established.
How do I establish conditions for myself at home, work, and/or school to be an active participant in my learning, experimentation, and growth? Consider a macro (larger) and a micro (smaller) goal.
Remember the only thing that is constant is change.
Call to Action: Please consider thinking about a macro and a micro goal to this question: How do I establish conditions for myself at home, work, and/or school to be an active participant in my learning, experimentation, and growth? Consider sharing in the comments below.
