"Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." Robert Collier. Quoted in 'Instant Confidence' by Paul McKenna.
When you have time to repeat small efforts, and when your time is free to accommodate small efforts then you are bound to progress in whatever you choose to progress in.
Often, home education seems to me to be a series of small efforts day in and day out: you can pace yourself with the efforts. You can make a big effort once a week or a small effort more regularly. Or any combination of small efforts at different times.
I've just started to use kettlebells. Last year, I did for a few weeks, and then I let them slip (not literally, of course). I was going to try, but I relapsed to being my naturally indolent self. But now I've begun again, and I'm determined this time. And this time I am determined to do little and often.
Since I now see it's possible to be successful in increasing my muscle strength by practicing my exercises with the kettlebells.
If I don't focus on the success, I might trot along doing my every day or three or four times a week exercises.
I anticipate that I will keep going. I don't like carrying shopping bags and finding them heavy so I have some motivation to stop feeling like the equivalent of the guy who gets sand kicked in his face.
And d'you know? I'm enjoying it.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Monday, 4 March 2013
The power in me
"Whenever we seek to avoid the responsibility for our own behaviour, we do so by attempting to give that responsibility to some other individual or organisation or entity. But this means we then give away our power to that entity, be it 'fate' or 'society' or the government or the corporation or our boss..... In attempting to avoid the pain of responsibility, millions and even billions daily attempt to escape from freedom."
From The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck
Every day we allow a teacher to savage the self-hood of our child, we give away responsibility. Every day we blame 'the system' for things that we allow to happen to us, we give away our responsibility. Then we hurt because someone or something has done damage to us. Yet we are the ones who let them. We are the ones who choose.
Home educators take responsibility for their children, their children's welfare, their children's education, their children's safety, their children's mental health and their children's lives. They do that until their children are mature enough to take responsibility for their own.
With responsibility comes pain, the blame game and being the one in charge, but, I believe, more hurt comes from being let down by the schools, the local councils, the officials, the teachers, the politicians. In short, everyone to whom you delegate your responsibilities.
Home education - painful, effective, helpful, hurtful, exhilarating, joyous, disappointing, wondrous, interesting... and so much more.
Freedom. And all under your control.
From The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck
Every day we allow a teacher to savage the self-hood of our child, we give away responsibility. Every day we blame 'the system' for things that we allow to happen to us, we give away our responsibility. Then we hurt because someone or something has done damage to us. Yet we are the ones who let them. We are the ones who choose.
Home educators take responsibility for their children, their children's welfare, their children's education, their children's safety, their children's mental health and their children's lives. They do that until their children are mature enough to take responsibility for their own.
With responsibility comes pain, the blame game and being the one in charge, but, I believe, more hurt comes from being let down by the schools, the local councils, the officials, the teachers, the politicians. In short, everyone to whom you delegate your responsibilities.
Home education - painful, effective, helpful, hurtful, exhilarating, joyous, disappointing, wondrous, interesting... and so much more.
Freedom. And all under your control.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
