...but 'changing something' is probably the hardest thing to do in life, sorry chart, I wish life could be this simple.
via FlowingData.com
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
There may be a genius in all of us?
Excerpts from an interesting article by David Shenk, author of The Genius in All of Us.
On genetics and the IQ debate:
He warns:
He concludes:
I guess that's hope for all of us.
Related:
I.Q. Debate Adds a Chapter Online - New York Times
Nature versus nurture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On genetics and the IQ debate:
...we have long assumed that talent is a genetic thing some of us have and others don't but new science suggests the source of abilities is much more interesting and improvisational. It turns out that everything we are is a developmental process and this includes what we get from our genes.
...everything about us - our personalities, our intelligence, our abilities - are actually determined by the lives we lead. The very notion of "innate" no longer holds together.
He warns:
It would be folly to suggest that anyone can literally do or become anything. But the new science tells us that it's equally foolish to think that mediocrity is built into most of us, or that any of us can know our true limits before we've applied enormous resources and invested vast amounts of time.
He concludes:
Our abilities are not set in genetic stone. They are soft and sculptable, far into adulthood. With humility, with hope, and with extraordinary determination, greatness is something to which any kid - of any age - can aspire.
I guess that's hope for all of us.
Related:
I.Q. Debate Adds a Chapter Online - New York Times
Nature versus nurture - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why Intelligent People Fail.
1. Lack of motivation.
A talent is irrelevant if a person is not motivated to use it. Motivation may be external (for example, social approval) or internal (satisfaction from a job well-done, for instance). External sources tend to be transient, while internal sources tend to produce more consistent performance.
2. Lack of impulse control.
2. Lack of impulse control.
Habitual impulsiveness gets in the way of optimal performance. Some people do not bring their full intellectual resources to bear on a problem but go with the first solution that pops into their heads.
3. Lack of perseverance.
3. Lack of perseverance.
Some people give up too easily, while others are unable to stop even when the quest will clearly be fruitless.
4. Using the wrong abilities.
4. Using the wrong abilities.
People may not be using the right abilities for the tasks in which they are engaged.
5. Inability to translate thought into action.
5. Inability to translate thought into action.
Some people seem buried in thought. They have good ideas but rarely seem able to do anything about them.
6. Lack of product orientation.
6. Lack of product orientation.
Some people seem more concerned about the process than the result of activity.
7. Inability to complete tasks.
7. Inability to complete tasks.
For some people nothing ever draws to a close. Perhaps it's fear of what they would do next or fear of becoming hopelessly enmeshed in detail.
8. Failure to initiate.
8. Failure to initiate.
Still others are unwilling or unable to initiate a project. It may be indecision or fear of commitment.
9. Fear of failure.
9. Fear of failure.
People may not reach peak performance because they avoid the really important challenges in life.
10. Procrastination.
10. Procrastination.
Some people are unable to act without pressure. They may also look for little things to do in order to put off the big ones.
11. Mis-attribution of blame.
11. Mis-attribution of blame.
Some people always blame themselves for even the slightest mishap. Some always blame others.
12. Excessive self-pity.
12. Excessive self-pity.
Some people spend more time feeling sorry for themselves than expending the effort necessary to overcome the problem.
13. Excessive dependency.
13. Excessive dependency.
Some people expect others to do for them what they ought to be doing themselves.
14. Wallowing in personal difficulties.
14. Wallowing in personal difficulties.
Some people let their personal difficulties interfere grossly with their work. During the course of life, one can expect some real joys and some real sorrows. Maintaining a proper perspective is often difficult.
15. Distractibility and lack of concentration.
15. Distractibility and lack of concentration.
Even some very intelligent people have very short attention spans.
16. Spreading oneself too think or too thick.
16. Spreading oneself too think or too thick.
Undertaking too many activities may result in none being completed on time. Undertaking too few can also result in missed opportunities and reduced levels of accomplishment.
17. Inability to delay gratification.
17. Inability to delay gratification.
Some people reward themselves and are rewarded by others for finishing small tasks, while avoiding bigger tasks that would earn them larger rewards.
18. Inability to see the forest for the trees.
18. Inability to see the forest for the trees.
Some people become obsessed with details and are either unwilling or unable to see or deal with the larger picture in the projects they undertake.
19. Lack of balance between critical, analytical thinking and creative, synthetic thinking.
19. Lack of balance between critical, analytical thinking and creative, synthetic thinking.
It is important for people to learn what kind of thinking is expected of them in each situation.
20. Too little or too much self-confidence.
20. Too little or too much self-confidence.
Lack of self-confidence can gnaw away at a person's ability to get things done and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conversely, individuals with too much self-confidence may not know when to admit they are wrong or in need of self-improvement.
Written by Michael Anissimov on the Accelerating Future blog, content from Sternberg, R. (1994). In search of the human mind. New York: Harcourt Brace.
The Ten Thousand Hour Rule
Toni Schwartz on 6 keys to being excellent at anything
- Pursue what you love.
- Do the hardest work first.
- Practice intensely, take a break.
- Seek expert feedback, in intermittent doses.
- Take regular renewal breaks.
- Ritualize practice.
If you want to be really good at something, it's going to involve relentlessly pushing past your comfort zone, along with frustration, struggle, setbacks and failures. That's true as long as you want to continue to improve, or even maintain a high level of excellence. The reward is that being really good at something you've earned through your own hard work can be immensely satisfying.
Numerous researchers now agree that 10,000 hours of such practice as the minimum necessary to achieve expertise in any complex domain
10,000 hours!, that's 416 days of practice. No wonder I suck at everything 
Set Smaller Goals, Get Bigger Results
"Change can start with small measures, and it can be rewarded with small prizes, ...[in the] Toyota employee-suggestion program, the car maker receives 1.5 million employee suggestions every year, an it holds an annual awards ceremony to celebrate the single best idea. The lucky employee gets a fountain pen. (Lehman Brothers handed out million-dolar bonuses. How'd that workout?)" - Dan & Chip Heath, Set Smaller Goals, Get Bigger Results.
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