Who says that you can’t teach an “Old Dog” new tricks?

This has been a week of intense and learning for me. For years I used outlook express as my e-mail program, and then someone said to me that I should use outlook it’s so much better than outlook express, So I went and activated it, and I found that, yes, it is much better and for years this resource has been at my disposal I just didn’t use it. Isn’t that what’s so often happens, we have the resources at our disposal but we do not use them.

The only reason that I used a outlook express, and have used it all these years is that is where I started and I always found it sufficient for my needs therefore I never saw the need to try anything else. It was only when speaking to an “ Internet Boffin” that I realized that just maybe there was something I was missing.

The next intense learning curve that I went through, and am still going through, is using a speech recognition program, instead of a keyboard, to type. In fact this email is being typed for me as I speak. Now many years ago, I attempted to use a similar program with hilarious results, I could not understand the program and the program certainly did not understand me. It would type what it thought I said, and what it thought I said was scary. So I stopped using it, and for years, have held the belief that these programs are no good.

Once again, someone who had more experience in this field tha
I have, came to my rescue, and explained to me the benefits of a program of this nature, and the advances in technology that had so improved the programs that they were now much easier to use. It still takes some training for the computer to get used to the way that I speak and for me to get used to the way that the computer listens, but I must say that we are getting along very well and I think we have better communication and understanding of each other than most human relationships.

So, what is the importance of these stories. Well, they illustrate some very valuable principles,

1. Firstly they show just how easily we get locked into habitual behavior and once we have adopted a certain process, a certain way of doing things, we seldom look for opportunities to change. In fact, we will often resent change and invent reasons that justify staying where we are, and doing things the way we are used to doing them.

The lesson here is that we should constantly be paying attention to the world around us and be open to new ideas that will help us get done what needs to be done in an easier way. Our world is changing so fast that we have to run faster just to stay in the same place, and the law here is very simple, “ either you are getting better or you are getting left behind”

2. The second principle is that these stories illustrate the value of a mentor. This is the one thing that allows humans to have such incredible growth potential, we can learn from each other. We do not have to do everything ourselves, we can make use of the experience, knowledge and wisdom of others to fast track our own success. What is important here however is that we are teachable, we must be open to learning.

It has been said “ that’s when the student is ready the Master will appear” what I have discovered is that it is more a case of "when of the student is ready to learn, the student will become aware that the lesson was available all the time"

My wish for you is that you too have a week, and in fact a life, of intense learning and may that the learning contribute to your growth and success.

With love and best wishes

Joha

PS: I would really like to have your comments on this article so send them to me at johan@motivate.co.za I am especially interested to hear what lessons you have learned from this article.

If you have written to me before and I haven’t yet replied just hang in there I get a lot of mail and it may take me a week or two to catch up.nn*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Daily Inspiratio

The biggest room in the world is nthe room for self improvement andnit's one you should constantly strive to fill.nn{------------------------}

POWER Questions

What is there that you would like to learn?

What would you like to be good at?

What do you need to do to become good at it?

What is stopping you from learning?nn*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

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