It’s discouraging to toil away at something that’s meaningful to you and not receive any recognition. You start to think, “What’s the point? Why bother when no one else seems to care?” But that is the exact moment when this will help: the mere exposure effect. What is the mere exposure effect? It’s a psychological… Continue reading Fortifying Your New Direction
Tag: newthings
Get Used To Making Mistakes
Part 2 on The Benefits of Making Mistakes (click here to read part 1) It’s important to make mistakes. I’m not kidding. If you’re getting life more than 85% correct, you’re not in an optimal place for learning. “That means a 15% error rate, which allows someone to have space to improve without giving up…”***… Continue reading Get Used To Making Mistakes
Learning What You Don’t Know: step two in the process
According to psychology, there are four steps to acquiring mastery over a new set of skills.* At first, you don’t know what you don’t know: ignorance is bliss. But then the thorny second stage begins, and there’s a wave of overwhelm as you realize just how much you don’t know. I’m in this stage now… Continue reading Learning What You Don’t Know: step two in the process
Jumping Into The Unknown: Building Courage
There is scary-excitement that comes with trying something new. When I’m doing something challenging for the first time, it’s frightening to be faced with so much newness. I’ve been using this year to look at times that I’ve forged ahead with unfamiliar things that scared me. I would never have described myself as adventurous, but… Continue reading Jumping Into The Unknown: Building Courage
Try it.
Anyone of a certain age will remember the Life cereal ad where the kids get Mikey to try it for the first time, even though “he hates everything.” Getting over your fear of trying something new is no easy feat, especially if you’ve convinced yourself that you hate it. Things I Disliked. I’ve noticed that… Continue reading Try it.
Where In The World Is…
Considering that I’ve always lived on the same planet, I have managed to stay remarkably ignorant of its countries. Sure, I can find where I am on the globe, and the places that I’ve visited, but that’s about it. Sadly, most of my knowledge is extremely North American and Euro-centric. Challenging My Ignorance. A year… Continue reading Where In The World Is…
Do What Scares You
It’s easy to become complacent and settle when you retire. You get pushed along by the rhythm of the day, and suddenly a week, a month and a season has rolled by. I could feel it happening to me and I didn’t like it. In an attempt to grow, I chose to do something that… Continue reading Do What Scares You
Healing My Relationship With Plants
I found myself talking regularly to the orchid in my bathroom, when it bloomed during the dead of winter. Its bright yellow and fuchsia blooms lifted my spirits when everything outside was frozen. I know they say that talking to your plants is good for them, but I’ve found that it’s been good for me… Continue reading Healing My Relationship With Plants
A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
Retirement websites often distill retired life to a list of things that you can check off one-by-one.* From a tired, working person’s perspective, it’s an enticing list of wonderful possibilities. I’ve found that it over-simplifies the process of retiring. It makes retirement look like an endless holiday where you get to do all your favourite… Continue reading A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
Move It
“Move it or Lose it” is a phrase you may have heard connected to getting exercise. It automatically creates that “ugh” response in me. I know that moving is important for my wellbeing but I also know that we never “lose it” forever. It’s always possible to re-build. Maintaining My Range Of Motion. It is… Continue reading Move It
Retired, And Now What? 