I’ve been reading a good book…
I know, I know. I start a lot of my emails like this. But there are so many good books out there! I know you are busy, so this is my way of giving you a preview to see if this is a book you may want to read. If not, I’ll give you some of the juicy parts!
The title of the book caught my eye – Moonwalking with Einstein. Anything with Einstein grabs me. He is the poster child for anything related to genius, and I’m all about realizing genius.
Happy Independence Day!
I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with your family and friends, celebrating the founding of our country. Yesterday I was in a total of four airports trying to get from Cleveland, Ohio, to Austin, Texas. It definitely was NOT a direct flight! But getting to family and my final destination was worth the wait.
I started out a month-long vacation last week in LAX at 3:30 am. I flew with a friend to an amazing five-day spiritual retreat. I’m so grateful for the time away to be rejuvenated and inspired.
It was in the airport that I got my first “aha” of the trip. We got to LAX before the TSA or ticket lines had opened, so there were tons of people standing around waiting. I know how these things work, so I asked someone if they were in line, and then when they said yes, we got in line behind them.
In Angela Duckworth’s book GRIT, she shares how her father would tell her how she was “no genius” on a regular basis. (She went on to win what is nicknamed the “genius” grant.) Her father wasn’t being cruel. He was just repeating what the world says about our kids. And about us.
But it isn’t true.
You are a genius and your child is a genius. I like to turn it around as Elizabeth Gilbert does in her book Big Magic. She says that you HAVE genius. It is there for the taking.
You HAVE genius.
This week I took a class to visit a pre-school. It was a field trip for an entrepreneur class I’m teaching this semester. One of our students is interested in child development and has dreams of opening up a pre-school one day.
It was a wonderful school. Colorful classrooms. Student artwork hanging on the wall. The kids were all well behaved and engaged in what they were supposed to be doing.
I asked the director a question about free play.
I’ve been listening to a fascinating book on Audible (have I mentioned how much I like Audible lately?) Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It is hitting on something I’ve been concerned about ever since I decided to share my Genius Paradigm ideas.
When I first started talking about the Genius Paradigm, I didn’t want to sound like Mr. Rogers just telling everyone that they are “special.” Not that they aren’t special – I love Fred Rogers! But he was called out as one of the reasons for the entitlement problem that we have today, and I don’t want anyone to think I support entitlement. I feel the people who blamed Mr. Rogers didn’t get what he was saying. He didn’t mean that you didn’t have to work for things or that everyone should get a trophy.
I have to admit, COVID has done a number on my book consumption. You wouldn’t think it would. I’m home more so I should have more time for that, right?
But no.
My schedule pre-COVID included a lot of driving for my job so I would listen to books in the car. I could easily go through several books a month. It was great! Audible loved me! Now I sit home in front of my computer. I have a lot more paperwork and I have to make sure I get out of my chair on a regular basis. My car trips recently have been to the chiropractor. Sitting too much in front of a computer screen evidently is not good for your back. Or neck. Or shoulders.
Things are opening up again thank goodness but I’m probably not going to be back to my old driving schedule. I miss books. I’ve got to develop different habits.
When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The fifth characteristic is Action-Oriented. Enjoy!
When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The fourth characteristic is TALENT, which I define as resources. Enjoy!
When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The third characteristic is OPTIMISM. Enjoy!
When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The second characteristic is RESOLUTION. Enjoy!