You are never too old to learn

by digilifeenabled | Aug 6, 2018 | Education, family, online business start up, Positive thinking, Purpose, Value

We used to dream big.

We were going to climb the highest mountain, sail the deepest sea, whatever it was, we were going to make a real difference in this world despite the risks. Then we got older, and this world told us why we couldn’t have our dreams, they didn’t belong in this world. So after a while, many of us stopped dreaming.

In this context, it’s humbling to reflect on the conversations I now have with my kids about their big dreams. I tend to point out the negative dangers of those dreams, the costs and risks involved. They smile back and simply point out the positive benefits.

I hope they don’t lose their positive perspective as they grow old in this world.

I like the story of 88-year-old Ursula Shepherd from Devon, England. It’s a story of holding onto a dream to learn which I’d like to share with you.

Even a year ago, Ursula couldn’t read, and what inspires me most about Ursula is that she didn’t let this world rob her of her dream, a dream to be able to read to a class of children.

You see, Ursula had a number of learning difficulties which weren’t recognised in the 1930s, so she didn’t have the opportunity that many of us have had to a proper education.

“I would sit with a girl and she was reading but I couldn’t read, so when she turned the pages I turned my page over because I didn’t understand.” Says Ursula. “I felt sad because I always wanted to read, you see, and they just put me in the corner. I felt like I missed out.”

Through her life, she has had to rely on others to read for her. But even at this stage of her life, she has had the courage, and perseverance to take the first step to fulfilling her dream to learn to read.

She learned as all of us have to, one letter at a time, and now at 88, Ursula has fulfilled her dream and has read to class of children.

So what about our dreams?

They may have been muted, for whatever reason, but we all still have them.

Well, Ursula shows us it doesn’t matter how old we are, if we simply focus on starting small ‘one letter at a time‘ and ignore the world’s opinion, we too will get there…

Oh, and I have to tell you this. Learning to read has inspired Ursula to try other new things too. Last year she went on an aeroplane for the first time and now she wants to skydive when she’s 90!

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Staying Motivated

by digilifeenabled | Jul 2, 2018 | Positive thinking, Purpose, Resilience, Value

Staying Motivated for the long term, one step at a time

You know, getting motivated is one thing, but staying motivated for the long term is another thing, but it can be done.

It can be done because staying motivated is about taking one step at a time on a journey.

While we’re all in different places career wise, family wise, health wise, it’s within all our gifting to simply take one, not 10 or 20, but one more step in the ‘right’ direction on our personal journeys, and that’s all we need to do to keep motivating ourselves; take that next small step. Imagine you are playing a game of tennis against a child. It’s a really fun thing doing that and I do it a lot with my kids, but if you try to play a serious game against a six year old, you will quickly become demotivated and bored. The match is too easy. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you try to play a serious match against a professional tennis player like Roger Federer or Simona Halep, you will find yourself demotivated for a different reason. The match is too difficult. But, compare these experiences to playing tennis against someone who is your peer, your equal. As the game progresses, you lose a few points and you win a few points. The match could go either way, but you actually have a chance of winning the match against your equal, but only if you really try to make that difference. In this environment, suddenly you become more focussed, distractions fade away, and you find yourself fully engaged in the activity at hand. The challenge you are facing is “achievable”, and while victory is not guaranteed, it is possible. Activities like these are the most likely to keep us motivated in the long term. We all rise to challenges, but only if they are within our personal unique zone of difficulty. Activities that are significantly below our current abilities are boring. Activities that are significantly beyond your current abilities are discouraging. But activities that are right on the border of failure and success are incredibly motivating to us. We want nothing more than to master a skill just beyond our current horizon. So if we’re looking at maintaining motivation for the long term in whatever aspect of our lives, then we need to keep our momentum going by engaging in those activities where we feel challenged, but capable. Wherever you are in your personal journey at this time, if you’re losing motivation, I just want to encourage you to take your next step on your journey, because it’s within all our gifting to take one small step. You can stay motivated for the long term!