With the advances of technology we have made the things we want to do very easy. Communicating, purchasing, writing, viewing, etc. are all so easy to do. We can watch a screen and move our hands a little bit and accomplish just about anything. The problem arises when we have to decide what to do.
Finish reading Technology, Boredom, and Decision Management
I remember the good old days of second grade. My teacher, Ms. English, was so enthusiastic. Because of this, we were so enthusiastic too. She would write a problem on the blackboard and ask “Who knows the answer to this one?” A few hands would quickly fly up around the room with kids yelling over one another “I know, I know!” Then, Ms. English would call on a student, and if they were correct, would reward with with a “That’s right Timmy” and put a star on their chart. Saying “I know” was impressive. These were the good old days of “I know”.
Finish reading “I know” is no longer good
Meg shared with me this article from Fashionista concerning fashion compliments. They talk about how a compliment from someone more important in the fashion world is much more valuable or desired than from a friend. The core of this aims to see if the source of a compliment changes the way a compliment is accepted.
Finish reading Consider the source…
Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
This is a very old example of the importance of teaching which I believe focuses mostly on the benefits to the man. The other half is the benefit to you. Instead of having this man bother you and beg for a fish everyday, you are free from his burden as he can now fish on his own. Teaching this man to do this may take much longer than simply providing him with a fish, but it saves lots of time in the long run.
Finish reading Re-delegation
I stumbled across this article in a link from my google reader. It begs you to ask “Will this matter in five years?” when making decisions on how to spend time or whether to be distressed. It sounded exactly like something I was telling my friends for the past two years. Mostly, this was used as a motivational technique to get them to come hang out instead of study. It worked more often than not. Mikhail can back me up on this. As far as my use, I expanded it a bit. I would start out smaller, asking if it would matter in a week, then a month, then a year, etc. This strategy works great when you have a bad day, because most of the time it doesn’t matter, and the answer is no.
Finish reading This is what got me through college…
I know it seems obvious, but things don’t matter so much. The amount of time and thought put into thinking about things is generally wasted, and I am probably more guilty of this than anyone I know. But the summation of everything does matter. It’s a lot like voting. Chances are your vote isn’t going to be the deciding one (and if it was, I’m sure there would be a recount). But if no one voted, we would be in trouble. So voting doesn’t matter by itself, but in context with everyone else’s vote, it makes a difference. In school, if I fail 1 test, it’s not so bad. If I failed every test for a semester, that is pretty bad. You have to simultaneously not shrug the small stuff while still being aware of the end effect. Aside from all of this, there is always the fact that you can try again next week, or next semester, or 10 years later. While I believe we should see the big picture and not worry about little things, I think the things that you should cherish are the small things. Say I had a 3 hour conversation with someone special and neglected to study. I fail the test. Not too bad. Overall I’m fine. But as long as it’s not a habit, I am actually coming out ahead. Small 3 hour conversations are fun. They make you more positive, or can give you more confidence, or just make you happy in general. This feeling is probably stronger than the feeling of academic success. It is for me. It didn’t used to be, but I have come to realize one of the most important things in life. You can’t take a degree with you to heaven. You can’t take cars or money or any worldly success. You can take relationships, though. And you can take those good deeds you did with someone else and build up heavenly treasures. It’s fun to build up someone else. I’m really starting to get a hang of this whole “existence” thing. And I’m liking it more and more.
Finish reading Everything in perspective