Matthew Childs' 9 Life Lessons from Rock Climbing
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matthew_childs_9_rules_of_rock_climbing.html
Matthew Childs relates the 9 life rules that he's learned from over 35 years of rock climbing. I found these to be very intriguing and drew numerous analogies to my life in the classroom, as a school leader and loads of other situations in life.
I'm going to touch on just a few below
Number one: Don't let go -- very sure success(ful) method. But really, truly -- often you think about letting go way before your body does. So hang in there, and you come up with some pretty peculiar solutions.
He's right on here. Too often we think about letting go of whatever it is we're working on at the moment - this is too hard, I don't have the energy to do this, is not really worth my time and effort or I'm not making a difference here. Think of that lesson in the classroom, learning how to infuse that piece of technology, the difficult student or co-worker. It's become pretty easy to just say "whatever" and maneouver around or "let go" of a situation we're faced with. Don't let go.
Rule number three: Have a plan.... You have to plan ahead to get to the top.
This one seems to simplistic yet so important. Having a plan of action for climbing could mean life or death. Yet how often to we have a plan for things. My day always went better when I knew ahead of time how it was supposed to play out. I was more productive. Yet even the US military who plans to the "N"th degree for things knows that no plan survives contact with the "enemy". During my teaching days the "enemy" seemed to be the constant interruptions that are a part of the daily happenings in a school. In the office it was that phone call or "crisis" situation that could change the course of the day in a heartbeat. In family life it's the sudden change in schedule of a partner or a child that we have to deal with or more currently the trip to the mall for the elusive gift hunt. The original plan(s) may have changed but the overall plan was able to be held intact because of the adaptations I could make to it. The beauty in life is sometimes the turns it takes.
Rule number five: Know how to rest.
Rest. Knowing how to rest could be the life-saver for many of us. I used to work with school staff on the principles of personal welleness. It wasn't unusual to have people who were really going to catch up on their rest or take better care of themselves on their upcoming break yet it was only the second week in October. I'll really rest up on summer holidays - yet months away. We need to plan that "rest" into our daily lives as educators, office workers, parents, etc. What can you do for yourself in a healthy way that's going to help restore your energies and spirit which in turn will make you better able to cope? Exercise is great, a date with your significant other, laughing with a friend or co-worker are great ways to get the "rest" you need in your daily life. I used to love going out and playing with the kids at recesses. They loved it and it built relationships too.
I hope you can find the 5 minutes it will take to watch this TED Talk sometime in the next few days. I'd love to know what analogies you draw from it.
Have a terrific Thursday!
John
