It’s an irony of life that the more desperate you are for a thing that you want, the more elusive that thing is.
And when you already have plenty, it’s easy to come by.
How do you get from one state to the other? I believe that such a shift is related to a shift in our habits. And while changing our habits is difficult, it’s a worthy effort that can allow us to transform aspects of our very identity that we thought were immutable.
Read MoreDave was looking for guitar lessons.
A successful professional with his own company and three school-age children, he joked in our first phone conversation about having a midlife crisis and said that he wanted to do something to stimulate his mind. He had no musical experience whatsoever, besides a lot of listening and attending shows.
Read MoreMany struggling math students hate word problems. The well-written ones require you to demonstrate an understanding of what you’re doing instead of simply carrying out the procedure that you’re clinging onto for dear life. The struggling math students don’t believe that they have this understanding, so they shut down.
To trick them into discovering their competence, we substitute easier numbers.
Maybe my student can’t figure out how many jelly beans are left if Chen gave Chamari 2/3 of her 645 jelly beans and then gave Chester 1/5 of the rest. He claims that he doesn’t even know where to begin.
Read More“How long does it take to learn to play the guitar?”
I get this question all the time. Wanna guess what the answer is?
You guessed it: It depends. It takes a few weeks to a few years to become proficient, depending on how much effort you put in.
I also frequently get the question, “How long does it take to get good at the guitar?”
Now that is a really different question. The answer, for anyone asking it, is you never will.
Read MoreThis was a sentiment I had heard many times from adult students. Coming from a fifty-year-old with a demanding job and family obligations, it had a veneer of validity. I had often had a similar thought myself, as I compared my career to those of the people I aspired to be like.
However, hearing the same exact words from a small child caused me to question my beliefs. His words confirmed for me that the concern about running out of time and falling behind is driven by fear, not reality.
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