The Value of Learning

A little while ago, I was reading The Value of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (from Problems of Philosophy). And now, it seems to be quite related to the previous post on finding powerful reason to learn.

Once upon a time, I was the biggest critic of philosophy. I couldn't understand it's appeal and thought it was totally useless. In fact Russell describes my old sentiment quite nicely:

[M]any men, under the influence of science or of practical affairs, are inclined to doubt whether philosophy is anything better than innocent but useless trifling, hair-splitting distinctions, and controversies on matters concerning which knowledge is impossible.

However, Russell goes on to describe that the main value of philosophy is to give us many different perspectives on even the most simple matters. In this way, we will not become so dogmatic in our ways, allowing us to accept the possibility of new ideas. (We should be humble in our knowledge.)

Russell writes in such a way as to make the idea of learning philosophy exciting and life-altering. I would tend to agree.

In a similar way, after reading this, I found that many of the benefits conferred upon learning philosophy apply to all learning in general. Our solutions to problems come from the framework of our knowledge. If we have many frameworks (if we know a lot from varied schools of thought), then will be able to find a greater number of creative solutions.

The quest for knowledge should not be limited only to one field, the sciences say, because then we will have only one perspective from which to view the world. In learning that there are more ways to perceive life, we are liberated.

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Intelligent Attitudes (Part 2)

This is the second of several parts on attitudes that will put more information in your brain and keep it there. These tips are meant to be applied in all areas of life, so that maximal learning happens on every front, not just the academic ones.

The first part of Intelligent Attitudes lists tips 1 and 2 and is well worth checking out. Feel free to read them in any order.

3) Find powerful reasons to learn

Simply, we should answer to ourselves: Why do I want to learn this? or Why is this worth remembering?

Tasks get accomplished faster and with more enjoyment when they have meaning or purpose. For the most part, I would hope that we could all have lofty and noble reasons for wanting to acquire information. Reasons such as learning purely for knowledge's sake, intrinsic interest, or the hope to teach/benefit others later; even finding calm in the present moment can motivate one to study.

While these reasons may motivate us in a grander sense, I find they they may not permeate the present moment. Goals are only valuable to the extent that they affect us now. If the idea of teaching another is not exciting or powerful enough to motivate us to learn, then this idea is not useful. Often, it is other types of goals that drive our quest for knowledge.

Grades:
Learning in order to improve your GPA or ensure your future success, in graduate studies for example, can be a powerful motivator. It is a very measurable factor, thus making it easier to analyze objectively and quickly. You can see if you are improving, and by how much. (Although grades and amount learned are not always directly correlated.) While some say that grades are not important, it is hard to deny their blunt efficiency as a tool to compare and rank people. From this (and for other reasons I won't get into), the grade point average can motivate.

Sex:
Sexual drive is an ancient desire that can elevate people to untold heights or bring the mighty to their knees. Leaders can are often made or broken because of sex. Some even argue that this one desire is responsible for all great societies. As a result, to have this as a motivator for learning is very effective.

Yet how can knowledge be sexy? Oh, in ways too numerous to count. Common interests can often spark a magical sort of first impression. Someone mentions their philosophy course, you ask about a philosopher they might have studied, and your friend is subtly impressed. One is perceived in a better light if they are knowledgeable about certain subjects; depending on the person such subjects can include fine arts, economics, neurobiology, Tupac's greatest hits, Tupac's underground stuff, literature, etc. Even flirting and sexual practices are varieties of knowledge. Of course, this is a bit of a simplification, but if you can find personal reasons why learning a fact will improve your sexual potential, in any way, that fact will be firmly entrenched in your mind.

Impress:
Related to the two above, there are cases in which specific knowledge can be impressive (or at least interesting). Cocktail parties were made so that people would have a place to talk about philosophy, among other things. People also love when you remember things about them, such as their favourite book, things about their family etc. Knowledge about a company or institution will come in useful during an interview to show that you are a thorough and intelligent person. Hell, even sports knowledge can impress your date's father in that awkward time by the front door. Remembering that all knowledge will be impressive in the future can help one to memorize even the most detailed facts.

Fuel for creativity:
Oh man, this is one of the greatest discoveries of my life. The reason I advocate creative outputs, such as writing, is that your vast pool of knowledge comes pouring out in ways that you may not have thought possible. Wit and humour are often simply the retelling of known things in a novel way. When you have more knowledge to draw upon, you can make connections between pieces of knowledge faster, these new connections are the basis of creativity. Creativity is not limited to writing; scientific discovery benefits greatly from the same fuel. Great scientist Louis Pasteur said that "chance favors the prepared mind." More knowledge about a subject will give one a larger platform from which to jump to creative solutions.

I'm always impressed with the crazy associations our minds can make. Try just going through a train of mental associations, just saying what pops into your mind after the word "coffee". If you tried it, you notice that you can get pretty far away from coffee. All knowledge is just more fuel for future creativity, helping those a-ha! moments come more and more frequently.


I would say that I use all of these desires/goals regularly in my learning. Some more than others, but I'll leave you to figure that out. One of the main factors that motivates all of my learning (from feminine hygiene products to philosophy of mind) is that I believe this knowledge will eventually have a use. I also believe that the process of learning is intrinsically valuable (a previous Intelligent Attitude [#2]).

Some may argue that we shouldn't have such "shallow" goals direct our learning and activities; however, I have two counter-points to this. Firstly, there is great energy in these desires that is often hard to embrace through other means. Ideas that can bring this energy are tremendously powerful and should not be ignored because of cultural biases. We should embrace the desires that motivate us, in order to learn and achieve more.

Secondly, to call the above categories shallow seems like a random categorization when we think about what results from them. (The ends justify the means?) Let me give you some examples. An Olympic athlete trains everyday for his/her whole life simply to qualify. The only things that motivate the athlete are the ideas that he/she will have the world record and that their place in history will be assured. After many hard years and one event, this athlete places first, giving hope and pride to their country. Is the accomplishment of the athlete less significant?

Songwriters write songs to soon women and men (often in sexual ways). Are these songs less beautiful and moving for their underlying motivations?

No, I would argue. Sometimes people, myself definitely included, get caught up in judgement of other or themselves based on the view that certain desires are wrong or bad. Yet they are quick to devour the fruits of the labour from these desires. Some dismiss those who experiment day and night to the chagrin of their families, but applaud the discoveries and prizes. People with far-out interests can be ignored, but adored for creative insight. This list goes on.

What I'm getting at here is that we shouldn't worry so much about what other people may think about our desires and goals. They should empower you, and it is you that will know if your underlying desires are "good" or not. So, remember to create goals and reasons that empower you to learn. Whatever your desires may be, if they motivate you, this makes them good.

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Intelligent Attitudes (Part 1)

This will be the first of three (or four) parts on attitudes that will help you learn more in all areas of your life. Not only are these tips are useful in an academic sense, they are even more useful for learning as a whole.

1) Be humble in knowledge

No matter how much you know in about a subject, there is still always more to learn. There are so many different ways to view current paradigms, and theories are constantly in flux. It is very difficult to be sure that one has heard it all. If you believe you know everything, there is no room for education. Making mistakes is one of the best and fastest ways to learn. Yet when our minds are closed off because we think our knowledge is fixed, when we find out what we "know" is wrong, we just freeze. As the study in the link shows, what we believe can shape our brains.

I'm sure you have experienced this: you are so sure about some fact; let's say that it's about the capital of Australia, which you believe to be Sydney. You've known this for so long. They even had the 2000 Olympics there!

But then your friend tells you that Canberra is the capital. You flatly deny it. "No way, Sydney has so many people." You even start to yell, "what are you talking about?!" After much flailing and harsh words, you will come to accept that Canberra is the true capital; only through the influence of the internet's second greatest resource. This information could have been more easily learned without arrogance surrounding our opinions. In the cases where there is no other direct proof, I have been known to simply dismiss someone's claim as completely erroneous, rather than check it out.

My father once told me that one of his most cherished lessons came in university. Initially, I didn't realize its importance, but now I am beginning to see its power. "Be slow to form your opinions, and slower to say them."

The amount of knowledge out there is frightening and thrilling. To say that you have enough information about a topic to warrent having a fixed opinion is quite reckless. I have been guilty of running my mouth on issues from abortion to the importance of pi. Yet with such limited knowledge, I was a fool for doing so.

What is it that can change one's perspective from smug inflexibility to maluble humble pie? Simply more information, an understanding of perspective, and an open mind.

2) All steps towards learning are important (even small ones)

This is an intelligent attitude for a few subtle reasons. Firstly, it gets you to start working. Even if it's only a little bit of work, a little bit is way better than none. Such a seemingly obvious statement becomes more practical when we consider how many times we've done the opposite. We hesitate to start studying because it is complicated. We don't read a philosophy book or art magazine because we worry that we won't get it.

However, if we read over the text and understand even a little bit more, we have gained a greater footing on the mountain that is knowledge. In skimming over that magazine, the ideas and vocabulary are subtly entering your brain. All of this information will be easier to recall if it comes up again, and it will give you a peg for new knowledge on this subject.

Similarly, one of the great writing tips out there to get your flow going is just to write anything. You can let yourself write the crappiest first draft ever, but just write. When you forget about perfection, you allow yourself to get into a rhythm; this is when your real creativity can shine. In a similar way, when you untangle yourself from perfectionism, you lose the essence of the knowledge

The last way of looking at it is somewhat like the paradox of the heap. While we can all agree that one grain of sand doesn't make a heap. A heap of sand is just made up of single grains of sand. So when do grains of sand become a heap? Or when do isolated facts become a network of knowledge? Although this analogy is a little funny, you can see that in order to build this amazing network of information, you need to start (and continue) with single facts and relations.

So read that one extra page, watch that video that is hard to understand, keep going for one more minute. In doing so you're preparing your mind for future planting and harvest. And anyways, learning that one extra fact is much better than feeling silly when that exact section is on your test.

I have found that one of the best ways to implement this is through timeboxing. Just give yourself a set amount of time (like 30 mins) to work on something, say an essay. You don't even have to finish anything specific. Just work for that amount of time, and even if you think it's the worst work ever, it's not so bad that you can't handle it for 30mins . This is a really powerful technique to just get you going. And the awesome thing is that once you are moving, often your momentum will carry you a lot farther than you expected.

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Dedication: Screw the naysayers

There is a unique way of thinking that dedicated people have. In the same vein, there is an all too common way of thinking that undedicated people have. Here are some things I've heard over the past month on the topic of studying:

• No one needs to study for a week for an exam.
• I don't want to over-study the material.
• Don't be such a lame-ass, finish that essay tomorrow, drink with us now.

... and the list goes on and on.

Those who are dedicated to achieving high marks and accomplishing their goals are very focused on what they want, and will not allow obstacles to get in their way. They understand that a single-minded dedication, focus, even obsession is required to get what they want.

Frankly, it may seem "lame" or "weird" to those on the outside looking in. Yet if you want to truly excel, then the opinions of other people should not matter. What makes them such experts anyhow? Are they performing superbly in the area you want toconquer? I doubt it.

I know you are a very intelligent person. I know that you want to improve yourself in a number of different ways. So if you were to let the transient thoughts of people get in the way of that improvement, you would be doing a great disservice to yourself.

Since you are in control of your mind and your faculties, you should be the judge of what is or is not appropriate to do.

As we are in the exam season, many of us want to do well on our exams. What are you prepared to do about it?

I got this joke from one of my friends, it highlights this in a funny way:

A student comes to a young professor's office hours. She glances down the hall, closes his door, and kneels pleadingly. "I would do anything to pass this exam."

She leans closer to him, flips back her hair, gazes meaningfully into his eyes. "I mean," she whispers, "I would do anything."

He returns her gaze. "Anything?"

"Anything."

His voice turns to a whisper. "Would you...study?"

Study?! What kind of punchline is that?

The best kind of punchline. It is the crucial ingredient people seem to forget. We don't need insane strategies, we don't need lucky shoes, we don't need to update our facebook/MSN messenger status. What we need is content in our brains! We need to study.

For the most part, I try to keep these posts light-hearted, but sometimes we all need a kick in the ass.

To address the quotes at the beginning of this post:

• A week is too long to study? If you don't feel prepared after 3 days of studying that's probably because you need more time. Only you know how much time you require to cover your material well? Although you don't want to fall prey to Parkinson's Law (it states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion"), the more time you study, the more information you'll get into your brain.
• In a similar way, while it is possible to over-study, for the most part you are going to have to study A LOT A LOT to get to that point. I think it's funny that people worry about getting too bulky or big from going to the gym, without even lifting a pound. In the same way that you'll notice that your triceps are getting bigger, you'll notice that you are starting toover-analyse your studies. Even if you start to over-analyse, you'll be in a far better position than before opening your books.
• Successful people understand that there is a time for play, and a time for work. While it is popular to be the guy or gal that's always ready to party, it doesn't always work out. Understanding that sometimes we have to be uncomfortable to get what we want is crucial to personal and academic growth.

The bottom line: Stay focused, even obsessed with your goals. Don't let naysayers distract you. While dedication is not always the most popular option, it is one of the wisest.

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Getting yourself to commit

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. "

-- W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

As is the case with most posts, recently I have been noticing the theme of commitment coming up in my life. As such I wanted to share my views on it and hear some of yours.

Commitment is a driving force that can help us accomplish all the tasks before us. These tasks can include getting involved in extracurricularactivities, exercising, biochemistry labs or philosophy essays. Whatever they are, commitment will bring them to life.

What is so powerful about commitment? In one way, it leaves you with only the option to succeed. In burning your bridges, you know you must complete your duty, or perish. As much as one may not want to complete an essay, the alternative is a lot worse.

In committing, you give yourself a renewed energy. All of your energy becomes focused on your task rather than all the other possibilities.

I'm sure I don't need to go on about the importance of commitment. The better question is: How can we commit ourselves?

I have a couple methods that work for me.

Tell people what you are doing

Recently, I wanted to contribute an essay to the Philosopher's Cafe, a publication here at Queen's University. Yet, initially I wasn't sure if I was able to commit myself. I didn't know if I had enough time, enough creativity, enough content. What I did have a lot of was bullshit excuses. (Pardon my language.)

In this case my commitment had to be externalized. So I told almost everyone that would listen that I was writing an essay for the Philosopher's Cafe. I told my friends, my lab partners, my parents, even one professor. Sometimes I would find reasons to steer the conversation to this work, just so I could tell them about it.

It almost sounds a little crazy, but it works. Why?

It could be for many reasons: People will talk about it, and it will remind you to work on the essay. As well, since so many people know about it, you don't want to disappoint them. You have your pride to remember. The idea of having even a few people read the essay, and like it, was also pretty exciting, and made me want to wow them. I'm sure you will have your own reasons for wanting to tell people.

However, I must give you a small warning. There are certain goals that you shouldn't share with certain people. Some goals will make a certain person jealous, so don't tell them. They won't reflect the positivity that you are looking for, and may resent you for your efforts. As much as I'd like to see everyone as perfect, we aren't, so these things happen.

Luckily, there are often at least one or two (if not more) people that will be happy about your endeavours. Tell them!

Of course we cannot just rely on others to motivate us, we have a role too.

Break down barriers and distractions

I'm sure I've talked about this before, but if something is in your way, don't complain about it. Do something!

If you think you can't commit to studying for 3 hours because your roommates keep talking, you can try asking them to let you study for a while, threaten them if necessary. You could move to the library, a basement, anywhere.

Sometimes, we have internal barriers that we need to break down. I often worry that my writing will not be helpful or intelligent or gramatically correct... so on and so forth. These worries can disappear if you talk to your friends or rationalize with yourself. Even if I help a few people, or one person, my work is having an impact on the world. Sometimes though, my justifications can be harsh: Although my writing is not always Pulitzer-worthy, there is a lot of writing out there of a much lower quality that probably has too many readers.

Sometimes we have to do what it takes to get us past those barriers and get the job done; hopefully, while keeping good conscience in mind.


There is something to be said about the sort of energy surrounding those who commit and those who don't. Just go along with me for a bit. When one of your friends says that they are going to finish their lab report by 4PM, but you don't believe them, there is usually a good reason. You know they aren't committed to completing it. As a result, you will say that fake, "Oh, ok..." response, while thinking, "Yeah sure..." They are attracting negative energy from you and/or emitting it themselves. This sort of energy will prevent them from accomplishing their task.

In a less ethereal way of thinking, since you know that person is not committed, you are less likely to help them out, making them even less likely to complete their task. When your friend is committed though, you can sense that determination and you are willing to help them. In fact, many people may be willing to help them.

When you commit, you are more willing to complete your task, your friends and others are also more keen to help you. Sometimes even, seemingly random events will happen to help you accomplish this task. Whatever the mechanism, the first step is commitment, "... then Providence moves too."

So maybe now is the time to get yourself to commit to those goals you've been wanting to accomplish. Use the infinite creativity that I know you have, and find ways to commit yourself. Heck, I'll even help you out. If you want to tell me what you want to commit to, I'll remind you of it, or we can talk about it.

I'd like you to read the quote that started the piece one more time; I'll paste it here:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. "

-- W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

Do what you must to get things done.

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If you enjoyed these learning tips and motivational strategies, maybe you'll enjoy the other posts. Please bookmark this page (Ctrl-D) or check out the archive/categories to the right. Better yet, tell a friend! (Click the envelope below this.)

Finding flow in your work

Yesturday, I had the pleasure of leading a discussion on 'how to live in the present moment' with some lovely ladies at a Goal-Oriented Living Club meeting (you will find this post on the club's website as well). This post covers the some salient points of the discussion (of those that I remembered or wrote down). And for your benefit has been slightly modified in order to make it more web- and reader-friendly.

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Happiness is one of those goals for which everyone seeks. I've never yet met the person who does not genuinely want to be happy. However how are we to attain it? Often, it is said that one of the keys to happiness is living in the present moment. In fact, this teaching has roots that spread throughout time and religions. Two examples that are readily forthcoming are Zen Buddhism and Christianity.

The essence of Zen is to gain an appreciation for living moment-to-moment, to understand the "infinite moment". Koans, such as "what is the sound of one hand clapping?", are invoked in order to have one reflect deeply on these questions; this reflection becomes so deep that the meditator becomes fully engrossed in the moment, hopefully to reach enlightenment. More on meditation and Buddhism later.

The Beatitudes from the book of Matthew reveal a similar message:

"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [...] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Ideally, this sort of contentment would come as easily as breathing, would be as natural as growing; however, most of us are quickly distracted from the now by thoughts of the future and past. Yet surely there must be some way to tap into this power of the present moment.

This is where "flow" comes in.

(This term is not my own, reference available upon request, however it does describe what we will be dealing with for the next bit quite nicely.) Flow is what comes about when you are fully engaged in an activity: one that captures most, if not all, of your attention. Such examples include, playing/listening to music, exercising, doing crosswords, writing, cooking, dancing, meditating, the list goes on. Usually such an activity is enjoyable because it is challenging, while not being frustrating.

In engaging in activities that evoke flow, we hope to get in touch with the same awareness of now that monks engage in while meditating. Though it may not seem like it initially, there are concrete gains to be had from meditaion.

You may recall that there was scientific convention in 2003 where the Dalai Lama advocated (as he still does) the benefits of meditation and scientific inquiry into the same. Of course, research was done as well:

Last year Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin and a conference presenter, used an fMRI machine to map the brain of monk Matthieu Ricard.

While Ricard, a monk with over 30 years' experience in contemplative practice, engaged in what Buddhists call compassion meditation, Davidson measured the activity in his brain. The pictures showed excessive activity in the left prefrontal cortex (just inside the forehead) of Ricard's brain.

Generally people with happy temperaments exhibit a high ratio of activity in the left prefrontal cortex, an area associated with happiness, joy and enthusiasm. Those who are prone to anxiety, fear and depression exhibit a higher ratio of activity in the right prefrontal cortex.

But the degree to which the left side of Ricard's brain lit up far surpassed 150 other subjects Davidson had measured. No one knows whether Ricard might have exhibited the same results before he became a monk. But given that his readings were off the chart for happiness, Richardson believes that studying the minds of meditating monks can help us learn how meditation can mold our brains to develop happier and less-afflicted temperaments.

(Source: Wired)

What am I getting at here? Our "flow" is one form of meditation that will allow us to access this type of happiness. Flow may allow us to rewire our brains for a higher basal level of happiness.

Before I jump into how we may make use of flow, as a side note I'd like to ask: Do goals push people from this present moment happiness by striving for a non-existent future?

I would say no. Although goals are set for a future point in time, your goals should enrich your present moment. In thinking about them and in the process of accomplishing them, you can more easily practice that flow. In a way, the goals mediate your entry into these present-moment-enriching activities. Further, your thoughts regarding your goals should enrich you right now; goals are not valuable if they only fulfill you once they are accomplished.

As a personal example, one of my goals is to have a beautifully crafted essay to submit to a philosophy magazine here at Queen's University (by March 31). My pleasure will not only come about once I have completed this work, this essay engages me whenever I write or even think about it: this goal enriches my now.

It sounds so appealing for those activities that we do for recreation. Is there a way to get this flow into our work? To put a spin on that: Can we make our flow times more productive?

Definitely!

In the same way that we have found something within engaging activities to flow with, it is possible to find this type of attribute in our work. It is in the framing of the topic, or how we look at it.

Back to my philosophy essay example, some may view the essay as work, something to be dreaded over and to be procrastinated upon. However, the creativity that is allowed to me, the challenge that it brings, does not allow me to think of this essay in a negative light.

In a similar way, we may bring a fresh perspective to our work. It is possible to find something within your math project, history essay, biochemistry textbook, to engage you.

Ah, I can already hear the scoffing even across the vast expanse of the internet. Hold on for a second.

This comes a lot more smoothly once you open your mind to it. So you are asking: "how can I find flow in a subject as boring as biochemistry/history/whatever?" Maybe it will not come from the material itself, but from the process of reading and reviewing. In focusing purely on your text, you are bringing yourself to a different level of awareness. During a different activity, say playing music, try to notice how you feel while in that flow state then bring it to your work. It is something you have to experience to understand.

Another tip to help you get into this flow state (with work or with anything): Remember that all work you do is productive. Don't worry about doing a perfect job right away.

Initially, do what you want, when you can, how you can. Don't worry about not completing enough or every little thing. In thinking about all these other things you are detracting from the essence of what you are doing, you are losing the flow.

Just get in there. You can work about perfection later. If you have given yourself enough time you can tweak things afterwards: edit the introduction, review a section, practice measures 17-24, etc. And you will have enough time.

Why am I so confident that you will have enough time? Usually you don't have enough time because you delay on starting it. Why do you delay? Generally, because you are worried you will (a) not do a perfect job or (b) you hate it. If you start with small expectations and by doing the parts you like initially, you will start to get into it ("the appetite comes with eating"), and you will do much more than you thought possible, even while enjoying it!

So try it! Seriously. This mentality is tremendously productive and fulfilling. If you have some questions or comments about it, feel free to email me or comment below and we can jive.

(One of the comments that I received before this post was that I didn't elaborate on how one can integrate this flow theory into practice. I tried doing that in this post; yet if you feel that it is still lacking, email me and I'll see what I can do. I find in most posts like these - mine and other's - that showing it's practice is the part that always needs the most elaboration.)

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If you enjoyed these learning tips and motivational strategies, maybe you'll enjoy the other posts. Please bookmark this page (Ctrl-D) or check out the archive/categories to the right. Better yet, tell a friend! (Click the envelope below this.)

Karl Iagnemma: Roboticist and Novelist

In an earlier life, and still now to a large extent, I have been guilty of compartmentalizing people based on their field of study or work. If someone is in the liberal arts, they must only be good at writing. If someone is in the sciences, they must only be good at memorization and analytical thinking. If someone is in drama, they aren't good at anything. Ouch! I'm just playing around.

While I've been learning that more and more people, maybe all people, are rich wells of varied abilities, I am still amazed at those people who can perform superbly in areas that greatly differ. My professor of the philosophy of medicine is not just an expert on this subject, but is also a hematologist.

In another clip from PBS's program, NOVA, MIT roboticist and acclaimed fiction novelist Karl Iagnemma (yanYEMma) is profiled. (The clip is about 10 minutes long and is viewable in a variety of formats.)

One of the amazing things to me is that he is not just a mediocre roboticist and novelist. He is outstanding in both fields. I won't ruin it all for you, but his book is quite popular and he is working in collaboration with NASA on a robot to go on Mars.

This profile is particularly encouraging because many people - myself included - have a desire to excel in more than just their field of study. Karl Iagnemma shows us that such a goal is definately attainable. We do not always have to be boxed in by our studies.

On a level closer to home, although our school work can be time-consuming, we should try to delve into our other interests. This isn't just to expand one's area of expertise, which is awesome too, but also to keep us sane and happy. In becoming engrossed in tasks that we enjoy doing, we get in touch with that pure present-moment happiness that we easily pass over.

It is a very zen idea, but I'm saving that for the next post. ;)

For now, go watch the video of the profile of Karl Iagnemma. It's quite inspiring.

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The 104th Carnival of Education

Ah yes, even though this is already 2 (almost 3 days late) , I would like to thank Carol at The Median Sib for hosting the 104th Carnival of Education. And of course I would like to thank her for linking to The Gravy Way.

But to anyone from the carnival reading this: The title was taken from Dr. Brad Hoge's post at the HUNBlog, as my post was a follow up to his comments regarding constructivism/constructionism and the problems surrounding test-making.

If you don't know what a carnival is - in terms of the internet - it is basically an assortment of submitted links regarding a single topic: in this case, it is a Carnival of Education. Most of the links are submissions from other teachers; as a student (and sort of a teacher), I find it interesting to read things from this perspective. The learner seeing from the teachers point of view.

So go and check it out. It's awesome.

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Life's a Business: Value-Added Proposition

One way to gain control of your own life and to empower yourself to achieve successful living is by treating your life and everything about it like a business. A lot of people, myself included, spend a large portion of their time on activities that yield no value. For example: Every time I watch TV, I’m really not learning anything and although I’m entertained, I’ve extracted zero long-term value out of that 2 hours of Jack Bauer ripping into necks and breaking heads. Businesses don’t make money when they spend their time on things that don’t add value.

All new businesses start off in a mess, with zero controls and poor management, but with great ideas. Similarly, people in general want to lose 20 lbs, they want to start running 5 km everyday and they want to be at the top of their class, but sadly most people don’t really know where to start or they simply lack the drive. Any business has four functions: operations, marketing, financials and human resources. Success in every element is crucial to the longevity and ultimately financial upside of any business.

Operations:
The fundamental element of any business as well as personal success.
· Think about time: A normal week has 168 hours. Assuming you sleep 8 hours a day. That leaves 112 awake hours. Now assume you need to eat and groom. Being extremely generous, lets say it takes 2 hours a day, which equals 14. Which leaves 98 awake hours. If you’re an arts student you’re in class 20 hours a week. That leaves 78 hours. If you’re an engineering student or working you’re doing that for 40 hours a week. That leaves 58 hours a week to do learn something new.

· The point is that you have so much free time you can work another job or go to another school. This is all money making time, single moms know it, so should you.

· Adding Value: If you’re not spending time making money, you should be spending time on activities that yield money or other returns (wink wink, nudge nudge). So you analyze your week and realize you spend 2 hours riding a bus everyday. Go to your library and take out some books and read for those two hours while riding it. You run everyday for 30 minutes or drive? Get some audio books.

Taking out the trash: Stop doing activities that don’t add value. Stop watching tv, stop playing video games and stop wasting time. Instead of watching tv learn to play an instrument, instead of playing video games, play some real games outside and get some exercise. Instead of wasting time use it.

Stay tuned for all other functional areas of business.

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A new memory philosophy for a new year

Toward the end of last semester I’ve come across a different way of thinking about memory. It comes from an audio program from Vera Birkenbihl called Memory Optimizer.

She describes memory as construction: when you attempt to place a fact – say someone’s name – in your brain, you must first construct the idea of that name in your head. Every time that you recall this idea, you are reconstructing it in your mind.

The power of this idea lies in what it means for recalling or forgetting information. Previously, I thought that if I could not remember someone’s name, for example, it meant that I was stupid or inconsiderate. With the above memory philosophy, this is not the case. The person’s name is not available for me to recall, not because I am “stupid”, but instead because I did not construct it properly in the first place—I may not have heard/understood the name properly. So if I ask to hear the name clearly (maybe even a few times) and if I can associate it with something/someone familiar, I am much more likely to recall (reconstruct) their name in the future.

The quality of the reconstruction depends on the quality of the initial construction.

So we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we can’t remember something, it is simply a case of poor construction. This is one of the main points I wanted to make in this piece, so I’m going to reiterate it. Go easy on yourself when you can’t remember something. You are still an intelligent person and it is with this intelligence that you can improve your idea construction. Maybe it’s just me, but after coming across this simple philosophy, I felt extremely liberated. That’s why I felt that you should know it as well.

Now, now, in the wake of Danny’s post regarding independence and accountability, it would be remiss of me to say we should leave the poor construction the way it is. Once we see that our idea structure isn’t as well built as we want it to be, it is up to us to fill in those cracks. Again, this is why it is important to quiz yourself before an exam so expose and repair those cracks while you have the time. And there’s only one construction worker on this site, and he/she works just as hard as you do.

So put on that hard hat and bring on the spackle! This is going to be a good year for mental construction. I can smell it.

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The Beginnings of Personal Growth

For the longest time, I was always fascinated in how things work and the little intricacies of life's puzzles. That fascination developed into a burning desire to learn and excel in my academic life. I'd read hundreds of books before I turned the age of 6. That continued into my adolescent life right up until the end of high school where my self-motivation and desire to do much of anything peaked and then came crashing down like 747. After that, it took me about 2 years to get back to where I once was, and here I am today.

My theory is that personal growth is rooted in two things: Accountability and Independence

If you want to start to get out of whatever rut you're in, you need to get those two things.

Accountability - what is it, and where can I get some?

What it is:

It is the simple concept of taking. Taking control of your life, taking what belongs to you and taking every and all opportunities available to you. It is taking responsibility for your actions and reaching a level of maturity that accepts and faces the consequences of said actions. A person who doesn't run from negative consequences is a person who is accountable. If you only take the positive and do not take the negative, then you are not accountable, you are a coward.

Gettin' Some:

• Make a conscious effort to be accountable. Think it. Believe it. Do it.
• Do not blame others, no matter what. Even if it appears to be some one else's problem and you are affected, you, in almost every circumstance, can do something about it.
• Ex: Roommate pissing you off? Leave. Talk to the person. Move out.
• Ex: Not liking school? Stop going. Change Programs. Find something you love.
  
• Internalize every aspect of your life. You and only you have the ultimate control on what direction your life heads into.
  
• Grow a pair. Face your fears. I believe someone said, there's nothing greater to fear but fear itself.
  

Independence -

What it is:
It is solitude. Being alone. Being NOT DEPENDENT. Yes, I realize you, me and everyone else understands the definition of independence, but few and far between experience it. True independence is when your reliance on others is minimal or nonexistent.

Gettin' Some:

• Lose some friends. Face it, some friends you have are useless. Cut them out.
  
• Rely on no one. Until you can satisfactory say, "I am happy. I can survive by myself." You should not be dependent on others, especially if you can't even depend on yourself.
• Do it yourself. Stop seeking help, do it yourself for a change, learn something.
  

Those are the things a person has to do to truly grow. Obviously, I'm no suggesting blaming yourself for everything, but you should definitely seek your own faults before you seek others. Since you're reading this website, I was presume you've probably experience to some degree accountability or independence, but I challenge you to push it to further boundaries and achieving greater goals.

Personal growth is not like Christianity, you can't pay lip service every Sunday and expect results. You gotta be like a Mormon, go out there, believe it, breathe it, be it, and convert some heathens.

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"Is medicine right for me?" Interview series - Part 2iii

Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part III: Length 10.58 Size: 3.76MB
-- You can right-click and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to save this to your hard drive. (I recommend this option.)

This is the second part in a series of interviews relating to medicine; this is the third interview within this part. The links for the other interviews can be found here: Interview 1 - Hyeamin, Interview 2 – Dr. Duffin, Part I and Part II.

The end goal is to provide all of us with a greater understanding of medicine and learn a whole bunch of interesting stuff along the way.

I’ll just quickly outline what we discussed. You’ll have to listen to the interview to get it all.

• Her first husband serving as an army doctor in Vietnam, and the terrible impact it left on him.
• Most of my questions have been thrown out the window by this point.
• Duffin: You can’t really strategize. Josh: Damn.
• We discuss the investment of time and money in you life. If we knew we were going to pass away in 10 years, what would you do?
• Have to enjoy yourself in the present moment.
• Nature of internal medicine (link); why she loves it.
• Dr. Duffin questions me about my ambiguity regarding medicine.
• Life science is getting better, but it still needs some work.
• Why don’t we talk about the big (research-based) questions?
• Big classes and a bit on freaking out in PHIL 201 (Philosophy in medicine).

Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part III: Length 10.58 Size: 3.76MB
-- You can right-click and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to save this to your hard drive. (I recommend this option.)

Oh, I should thank SwitchPod for hosting these files for the low, low price of $0 per month. Life is good.

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Link to Interview with Nobel Laureate Peter Agre

I was reading the Eide Neurolearning Blog, and I saw an interesting link to an interview of Nobel Laureate Peter Agre.

I think it's interesting that how he describes his "D" in chemistry, non-conformism, his maturation and doing what you love. These responses come after questions 4, 5 and 6.

Go read the little exerpt from the Eide Neurolearning Blog (above), it's pretty interesting stuff.

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"Is medicine right for me?" Interview series - Part 2ii

Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part II: Length 9.59 Size: 2.85MB
-- You can right-click and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to save this to your hard drive. (I recommend this option.)

This is the second part in a series of interviews relating to medicine; this is the second section of this part. The links for the other interviews can be found here: Interview 1 - Hyeamin, Interview 2 – Dr. Duffin, Part I.

The end goal is to provide all of us with a greater understanding of medicine.

In the first half of this section, Dr. Duffin talks about not worrying about the future so much. She also describes how she thinks we should spend our time at university. (Hint: It’s not buried in a book.) She mentions not staying "inside the box" of typical education. (A tip I think is well worth heeding. Now only to implement it…)

She goes on to talk about the uncertainty she had about staying in medical school. (Refering back to the previous interview with Hyeamin, a common thread is forming. Maybe it’s alright not to be absolutely certain about life?)

The rigidity of formal medical (and pre-medical) education has not escaped her notice either. Noting that many divergently thinking people are in medical school, she makes the point that there is a mismatch between the style of education and the nature of the learners. (A problem that is quickly wearing upon me.)

Although she does not practice medicine now, she does not regret the pathway of her life. She mentions that medical school can even be good preparation for other fields. Her examples include law and nursing. She makes an interesting note on the difference between doctors and nurses (other than money).

From time 5:59 onward, she talks about the American healthcare system and the numerous reasons that she would be unwilling to practice medicine in the U.S. Ever.

Basically, the money isn’t worth lack of public healthcare. It has a lot of bearing on the nature of treatment, more than we think. It may sound obvious and simple, but there’s a bit more to it. Listen.

This isn’t related to medicine, but I noticed that she used the work kvetch. [new window] I used to be really big on commonly used Yiddish words in english. I stopped, though, after coming to Queen’s. Maybe I should make more Jewish friends.

Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part II: Length 9.59 Size: 2.85MB
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"Is medicine right for me?" Interview series - Part 2i

Sorry for the delay. I am just getting my toes wet in waters of midterms. The water is a little cold.
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Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part I: Length 12:56 Size: 3.7MB
-- You can right-click and select "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..." to save this to your hard drive. (I recommend this option.)

This is the second part in a series of interviews relating to medicine. The end goal is to provide all of us with a greater understanding of medicine.

I interviewed Dr. Jackie Duffin Ph.D., M.D. just a week or so ago and I have finally gotten around to editing the interviews. Since the interview was roughly an hour long, I have decided to release the interview in six parts.

The first part is about Dr. Duffin's life and how she went from haemotology to Professor of Philosophy of Medicine. Without giving away too much, I will say that she is a tremendously entertaining and interesting woman. I am currently enrolled in her Philosophy of Medicine course; she was highly recommended by her previous students.

Even if you are not interested in medicine, I would recommend listening to this section. She is a fascinating woman with an equally fascinating story; there's no messing around, she just jumps right in.

Outline:

• Tragedy
• Studying at the Sorbonne
• Coming back to Canada
• Difficulty finding work
• New Opportunities and A little give & take

Big lesson from this section: We don't always know what life is going to hand us. Even when bad things happen, it isn't the end of the world. Things can work out pretty nicely.

There's actually a lot more in there, but I'm trying to keep things concise.

Interview with Dr. Duffin - Part I: Length 12:56 Size: 3.7MB

If you have anything to add or questions to ask, please comment below. Enjoy!!

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"Is medicine right for me?" Interview series

(This post is quite long, so once you reach the end of this article on the main page, click the link to continue to the rest of the post.)

This will be the first in a series of information interviews regarding medicine and related fields. This is one part of my quest to find out more about medicine as a profession – to see if it is right for me. Hopefully, this information will help you in the same way. Even if you aren’t interested in medicine, there are a lot of tips that will help you through schooling in general.

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Hyeamin Yoon, a new medical student at Queen’s University; her undergraduate degree is in neurosciences from the University of Toronto. Despite her modesty, she is a pretty smart cookie graduating with distinction. As well she was very sociable on the onset of our talk, yet she claimed shyness later in the interview.

I asked her some questions regarding: her choice of medicine; her study habits; her extracurricular activities; some preconceptions about medical school; her choice of Queen’s as a Medical school; and some more stuff just popped up during the interview.

Although I did not record the interview, just to keep things comfortable, I did take notes. I will be sharing the salient detail here. I will paraphrase what she said. I will not take the first-person voice, for I don’t think I could reflect her tone and manner that well.

On with it!

Why did you chose medicine? How do you know medicine is right for you?

Even now she is not 100% sure about medicine, but she has had many influences in her life that have moved her towards medicine.

While admitting the “cheesiness” of her answer, she stated a strong desire to help people and apply problem-solving skills. She also mentioned that she is very ambitious and is always looking for a challenge; for example: a demanding career in medicine.

Influences may have included her aunt and uncle, both physicians who live in Korea; they have always portrayed medicine as the “best job ever”. As well, she spent many years living in the Philippines with her family. Coming across the difficulties facing many of this country’s citizens gave her a desire to perform medical mission trips in the future.

Through all of her decisions, even if made with uncertainty—such is the nature of life—she has not regretted any of them.

What sort of extracurricular activities did you take part in?

[I ask this question just to get a feel for the sorts of extracurricular activities that pre-meds may engage in.]

She described volunteering at a home for the elderly, where she took part in feeding patients that couldn’t feed themselves. She volunteered at a soup kitchen. She was also a Co-Vice President for a club at UofT that invites the top 15% of students (academically) to join. She mentioned being a Director of a club, but I did not write down the club’s name. As well, she played an active role in her church—incidentally her father is a minister. As a side note: Because of his prowess in Tae-kwon-do, my father has dubbed him the “flying minister”.

She also was a key part of the Korean-Canadian Literary Forum 21; helping to translate poems and other literature from Korean into English, then took a role in securing grants for this organization.

Her research experience consists of working in a neuropsychology lab for two years—receiving the prestigious NSERC award in the second year—and in a social psychology lab as a lab manager during her final year of undergrad. (She acquired this position through her hard work, mentioned in the “Words on extracurricular activities” section.)

What sort of study tips can you offer? And how did you manage the work during your undergrad? How did you manage so many extracurricular activities?

Hyeamin did not offer study tips in a specific sense, but more guidelines for survival. She made it very clear that while she was still a “nerd”, she had no love for studying—it simply had to be done.

She relied on her family, mostly her mother, and her friends for emotional support during trying times. Sometimes, she just went out with her friends to unwind.

She was quick to mention that all of her activities actually gave her a lot of pleasure and motivation throughout her undergrad, and took away from the boredom of studies. She wasn’t sure what it was about her involvement that drove her to work hard for these organizations, maybe it was the adrenaline rush from the deadlines or the potential to meet new people. These clubs weren’t joined for her resumé’s sake, but out of sheer interest. [My note: This may contrast with many stories people have heard of other pre-meds, or actions that others undertake—her point was quite refreshing.]

Words on extracurricular activities

She found clubs to be a perfect place to make new connections and meet new people. Of course not all would become “best friends”, but she loved this sort of interaction. She says that she is shy [which I do not believe], which makes clubs ideal for meeting people; it’s very hard to not meet people in a club.

She added, from her experience, if you work hard for a club, you will get noticed eventually: maybe by an executive member or faculty supervisor. This sort of hard work may lead to bigger opportunities, such as executive positions or job offers; both of which happened in her case. [I don’t want to just gloss over this point, while there is not an immediate effect with your hard work, most of the time it will have a long-term payoff. It reminds me about a blog post: On Speed and Greed at IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com]

However, she wanted to give everyone a word of caution: Do not get addicted to your clubs. In joining too many clubs, she found herself stretched too thin and her grades were affected accordingly in her last semester. “Something’s gotta give.” She played off the stressfulness of her situation; however, if I were in her position, I would have felt very overwhelmed.

Please click the little timestamp in the bar down there to continue reading. It should say 11:41PM

A word on looking out for number one

She also touched on a point that I didn’t realize until one or two years ago. You can still be interested in clubs and organizations, while simultaneously looking out for your future and building your resumé. An older Joshua would have said those ideas were mutually exclusive; it is important to know that you can still care about others, while still looking out for yourself. Sometimes my mom says to me: If you never look out for yourself, you won’t be around to help others.

Words on medical school acceptance

Basically, she said there are no guarantees for getting into med school. There’s no magic formula, there aren’t certain tasks you can do to ensure your acceptance.

She knows some people with no leadership experience and only did research and sports, and they were accepted. While others that fulfilled their “checklist”, but did not get in. The acceptances can be extremely subjective, based on university and simply the person reading your application.

The take-home message: Don’t feel pressured by all of those preconceptions about medical school, all you can do is work hard. [That sort of sucks to hear, but sometimes that’s the way things are. This doesn’t mean we are totally helpless though. Work to do well academically and extracurricularly, it will make a difference.]

What would you have changed about your undergrad?

Hyeamin says that she wishes that she was more focused in her extracurricular activities. Instead of taking on so many clubs, she recommends working hard for a couple or few clubs.

She is not sure how this will look to medical schools: Either they like the number and her varying interests, or it looks like she is scattered and isn’t committing enough to each one.

On a related note, she mentioned before that you should try not to spread yourself out too thin with clubs, because it may affect other areas of your life—academically, for instance.

She also wished that she talked to more people about medicine and medical school. She says in some ways, she felt uninformed and there were some “blind jumps” along the way. [Luckily, you are reading this post so you are getting some more information, but I recommend you get out there and talk to people and research your stuff.]

Why did you choose Queen’s for medicine?

During her interview and orientation week, she noticed that the students and faculty of Queen’s are refreshingly friendly and vibrant. Even to the point that she was a little overwhelmed with the activity and atmosphere during her orientation. During her classes, she notes that the students seem pretty laid back. They are still competitive, but in a very different way than UofT.

In terms of actual learning she likes the clinical program (actually learning to practice medicine). Many universities don’t start clinical exercises until 3rd year, but Queen’s starts in first year. Even in her first 3 weeks, she mentioned that they have had mock sessions of patient interaction and diagnosis; they will be moving to real patients soon. If she were to volunteer abroad (like a mission trip), she would have more practical experience to bring to the table.

Queen’s also has a mandatory research project in any medical field – from social psychology to molecular biology – which she likes the idea of. Her interest in research has grown from her previous experiences, so she will be able to investigate them during medical school. And her interest in social psychology will be further satisfied.

Queen’s also has the smallest student numbers in Ontario: 101 students (aside from Northern, but they are a new med school). Western and McMaster have roughly 130, University of Toronto is much larger at 208.

This may be better or worse, but Queen’s medical school (unlike most others) has no midterms, all of the marks are based on the finals at the end of the semester. [There may be some assignments; frankly, I don’t remember and my notes are a little unclear in that area.]

What’s medical school like so far?

Compared to fourth year, the classes are much earlier at 8:30. There is a lot of material covered during the lectures – more accurately an “insane amount” of material. She emphasized the need for self-directed learning (no wonder they ask you about it on all med school applications). Even during lectures, some professors list topic headings and have “Self-directed learning topic” written below. [Yeah, that’s gross.]

There are a lot of lecture hours. She said it was like first year again, because as you enter the upper years, the lecture hours usually decrease. Oh, and there are still labs.

There are still a LOT of parties that go on. [I asked, “With drinking and the like?”] The answer is ‘Yes’. People in med school still party hard, maybe even harder.

Tips regarding preparation for and applying to medical school

• Try to stay well-rounded.
• Try to take a leadership role, it is more interesting and it looks better [Sorry that sounds a little harsh, but we have to stay realistic too. Don’t take a position just for the sake of a title though].
• Make yourself sound interesting. When you apply, there is a certain amount of self-marketing that you have to do. That amount is a lot. If you have a certain unique activity that’s even better. Play it up!
• Visualize and plan for the future. Imagine what your ideal resumé would look like, and work towards making that happen. This sort of planning will keep you on track. [This reminds me of Goal-Oriented Living. This is probably one of my favourite tips.]
• If you want to secure a research position – volunteer or paid – you have to get researching and talking to professors early. You are going to have to be proactive about it. Her approach is to offer to volunteer, get to know them, then approach them for a paid position.

Two addendums to that last point: (1) She readily admits that her method is a little slower, but she likes having them get to know her first. (2) She mentioned that she heard from some professors that they actually like taking on paid staff over volunteers because they can boss around the hired staff, while they feel bad for pressuring volunteers.

The take home messages (that I got): You have to get out there to secure any volunteer or paid positions. You can still like volunteering somewhere, while still thinking about your future applications. Work hard in whatever you do, it will pay off—sooner than you think. Research your possible future!

If you got anything else out of this, or want to mention something, feel free to comment!

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Your life's direction

Who cares the most about where you end up in life? Whose responsibility is it that you find your direction?

I hope you can see where this is going. Only you have responsibility to find and choose your direction in life. Without getting into philosophy, all the choices you make in life are yours.

So what are you going to do with your life? What's up with your undergraduate degree? It's ok if you don't know what you are going to do right now. Most people don't. Some people think they know, but have just been programmed by society, their parents, infomercials, etc.

It is your responsibility to actively search for what you are interested in. (Re)assess your path, find out if it reflects who you really are. If you can't tell, investigate.

I'll use myself as an example, because I'm always around me.

I am currently on a path to enter medical school. Frankly though, I do not know if this is the right profession for me. For a while, I just bitched to other people about how I didn't know what I was going to do. I was sort of complacent, and useless about it.

As a side note: My friends must be pretty tolerant, because this sort of stuff would annoy me after awhile.

Eventually, I started doing something about it.

The first stage was "soul-searching". I looked at my interests; looked at my beliefs about life; and I even bought a book called "Do what you are" - it assesses your personality type and shows jobs/fields that you may be suited for. If you know me, you can borrow it if you’d like.

That moved me somewhere. I gained a better understanding of myself, but I still wasn't getting what I was looking for. Inspired by Ian Yberra's blog, I found that I needed to find out more about my potential career in order to give it a fair assessment.

The next stage is what I am in now: Researching my options.

I started this by talking to one of the career services’ counselors at Queen's University. She gave me some inspiration to investigate the medical profession further. I've just looked through a book called "So You Want to Be a Brain Surgeon?" And soon I will start contacting some doctors to find out what the profession is truly like.

I'll update you as that progresses, I may even post some interviews.

Frankly, I'm going steal this quote straight from Ian Yberra: It is ok not to know what you want to do, it is not ok not to do anything about it.

If you are like me, which I assume you must be a little true because you are still reading this, you may be confused about your options. Go out there and investigate. I promise people will be nice to you, since you are taking an interest in their lives and treating them like an expert. If they aren't nice, I'll join you in TPing their house.

Get out there and investigate your options! This is your life we are talking about! Go!!

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Simplicity

Recently, I've been noticing that we have become obsessed with the complexity of life. In order to eat more healthily, we have to follow some fancy diet. In order to discuss an issue properly we must use confusing language and a pedantic structure. By the way, I do see the irony of choosing such a complicated word.

Yet, people used to – and continue to – use very simplistic guidelines to dictate their eating habits; these people have lived very healthy lives. The most effective discussions and arguments are those where both parties fully understand each other.

Furthermore, in trying to do perform a task, like running or golfing for instance, the best athletes of these worlds do not break down each aspect of their stride or swing into its components while performing. It would just ruin everything.

There's something very Zen about this way of thinking. "Be the golf ball. Be the shoe."

If you have to think about too many things at once, you aren't giving the overall task the attention it deserves.

In the same way, education -- or any type of learning for that matter -- does not need to be difficult or overly complicated. The methods that work are the ones that are the simplest.

Let me ask you a question: What does the ideal student do?

Seriously think about it. What does the ideal student do?

I can only speak for myself, but I'm going to assume you said something like:

• They study well before a test comes.
• They don't get drunk a day before their exam.
• They complete their assignments on time.
• They use their time effectively for studying.
• They attend class.
• They pay attention.
• They have opened their textbook for the purpose of reading it.

There is nothing complicated on this list. Yet you may or may not be surprised at how many people do not do these simple things. I'm not going to say that they are all easy to do, but they are definitely not hard to understand.

I was chatting with a friend of mine, whom I would say does extremely well in school - while still having an active social life and an attractive girlfriend. He was mentioning that he doesn't do anything crazy to study for his tests. He devotes a lot of time to his studies; takes notes; reviews them; and takes breaks when he needs to.

By the way, if you are thinking something like: "Oh he's probably really smart, but I can't do that." Let's consider two things:
1) If you are smart and you don't do anything for a test, will you do as well as you could have? Definitely not. It is possible for smart people to screw things up. I have seen it too many times. I'm guessing you've seen it too.
2) If you don't think yourself intelligent (which I disagree with, BTW), won't a concerted effort help to improve your grade? Definitely.

If you study more, you will do better than if you don't. That's it. Simple.

If a technique is not working for you, drop it. (Hint: Don't watch TV while studying.)

Before you concentrate on awkward techniques and quick & easy methods, remember simplicity. It works much better and doesn't clutter up your mind. When live seems to be really complicated, take a step back and reflect. It’s all gravy from the outside looking in.

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Experiments in learning that don’t explode

As people make the transition from high school to university they find that many aspects of their lives and mindsets change. A newly discovered freedom – or at least awareness – causes people to reassess what they know to be true or good.

Naturally, this leads to a lot of experimentation. In university such experiments may involve alcohol, drugs, sexuality, social interaction, physical activity and much, much more.

While I will neither condone nor oppose these types of experimentation, I think that people must come into their own perspective in their own way. Might I suggest one more – oft overlooked – area of experimentation? The way you learn.

This is the perfect time to experiment with your learning. Right now, we are still relatively young. Even if you are not, there is a comparatively small time investment needed in order to improve the way you learn. Think about it: if you spent one year trying out new learning techniques – honing in on what suits you the best – then even if you only live ten more years (definitely more though), you will have ten more years of improved learning. Relating this back to Monday’s post, it would be a very solid investment.

In finding out the nature of the way you gain knowledge you can increase the speed and ease of your learning. Taking in information will become less of a chore and more of an incidental process – or better yet, it will become fun.

I would recommend reflecting on all the areas and ways in which you learn. However, to get the ball rolling, I’ll give you some examples:

In-class note taking

How do you take notes in class? Do you write down everything? A lot of professors tell me not to, but then it seems like I’m missing something from my notes when I come back to them. There’s a line between expediency and deficiency. Work to find what works or what doesn’t work for you.

As well, have you ever tried previewing the material before class or reviewing afterwards? I must say it’s really helpful. Even if you don’t fully grasp the material at the time, you’ll find that even the mention of something vaguely familiar during the lecture will boost your confidence and increase your attention span.

I have already written a post describing Note Taking Tips (in class).

Listening to music
I’ve heard many arguments from both sides, so I’m hesitant to render a verdict for either. I’ll give you what I know, and what works for me.

Some people say that studying with music allows them to keep focused longer and keep a nice tempo going to their work. Some people say it energizes them. There was even a system, popular in the mid-1980s, called Super Learning [new window] that taught that people learned best while listening to 60 beat-per-minute Baroque music.

On the other hand, personally I’ve found music to be too distracting. I always want to start singing along, drumming things, etc. I’ve had a few teachers say that music can be distracting, but I usually take their advice with a grain of salt. A while ago, my friend mentioned a study done where participants learned some material with and without music. The variable was the level of musical competence of the subjects. Can you guess who learned better with or without music?

Well, I guessed wrong. Actually, the people with a higher level of musical competence actually learned more poorly when they listened to music. This makes sense, because their brain would become more active in the “musical areas” of the brain; taking focus away from the studied material. (I believe Jenna told me this, so if you are reading this and I have misquoted you or the study, go ahead and correct me.)

However, I have to mention that I have been listening to music on an off while writing this post…

Study Groups

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this already. Many people find that study groups help them by bringing people together to teach and learn the material. I find that teaching others helps to solidify the material in my mind. When you actually have to explain something, you have to have a higher and more complex level of knowledge about the subject. Personally, I don’t like study groups because I’ve found that we get too easily distracted and start talking about the Nintendo Wii or shoes. Try it out for yourself!

And more!

I have written other posts regarding the following things you should try experimenting with:

• Memorization techniques – This is probably one of the most valuable techniques you will learn.
• Environment – You may want to incorporate things that help you learn, calm you or provide motivation.

By the way, you should also try to expand this philosophy to other aspects of your life. A change in diet can change your energy levels and even the way you think. An occasional reassessment of your personal beliefs can also bring about lasting positive change in your life.

Keep your experimentation positive and you can’t go wrong. Without change there cannot be growth; growth is the key to life. So get growing!

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The Best Investment Ever

* Little warning: This is a pretty long post, but it’s some really solid stuff. Sorry for the tardiness again. I am getting better though. Oh, and all external links (ones not to my site) open in a new window.

Being a site about education, I think you can guess where this is going. The best investment you can make is not in stocks or bonds; it is in your education. This isn’t just random home-crafted cheesiness though; this analogy holds a lot of credence.

The return you get on your investment (ROI), 0% to 10,000% or more depending on how you live your life. You are in control of how much money you make. You dictate how this “stock” of You Co. fluctuates. "How can I do this?" you may be asking. Well…

Invest capital (money) on yourself

Not only will investing in your education make you smarter and better it will also increase your assets or net worth.

I mentioned earlier that I was studying for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) during my hiatus. A very high score can be very hard to get. So if someone has a high score, they stand a better chance of being accepted into medical schools. A high score, in this case, is quite valuable. It pays to invest in resources that might give you a higher score.

Knowing this, I would estimate I spent roughly $1700 on resources to help me learn for the MCAT. I probably could have spent much less. In fact, I would say I spent the most of all my friends taking it. However, even if $500 translated into one extra point, I would say it’s worth it. I have to mention that my family and I aren’t rich or anything like that, this is just a matter of priorities and investing for the long-term. Ask some people around October 19 how much they would pay for 4 extra points on the MCAT; it may surprise you.

However, I don’t just mean that you should only invest in formal education. Anything from a documentary about the struggle over oil to a book about eating habits can be beneficial. All sorts of tools can improve your stock’s value.

Invest your time in fields you want to improve in

Or: Don’t invest your time in fields you do not care about. Most companies heed this warning: Stick to your product/customer base. Do not spread yourself too thin.

I’ve never seen Pepsi selling lingerie, and Victoria’s Secret does not sell drinks. They focus their effort on the niche markets they are already a part of. I’m not saying you should just stick to one small field and never budge. Moving around a bit is ok. Expand your horizons. Diversify your portfolio. By the way, do you know who owns Tropicana?

What I am saying is that you should not spend your time doing things that aren’t bringing you towards something greater. Your time is valuable; you should treat it as such.

Let me elaborate. Many times I go shopping and the workers are pretty… how shall I put this delicately… pissy. What they seem to forget is: A job worth doing is worth doing well. Conversely, a job that you wouldn’t bother to do well is not worth doing at all.

For the sake of discussion, I’m going to assume (since you have access to a computer and the internet) that you are not seriously impoverished. If you are, some of these points may not stand, but it’s still solid stuff.

If you have the choice of doing something that may give you more money or safety versus one that advance you in any other way – academically, physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually – it is better in the long run to go for the one that improves your value. This is investing for the long haul.

Many of my friends, are caught in a dilemma for the upcoming year or the following summer. They must choose between a non-prosperous research position (maybe volunteering), or a more lucrative non-academic job. Well, actually this is a false dilemma, because you could just choose neither, but I digress.

In choosing between the two jobs, you have to consider which is the better long-term investment. If the research position causes you to be a little poorer, while allowing more doors to be opened up later on because you now have a "Research Experience" section on your resume, then it seems like research is the better investment.

Yet this is not to say that any non-whatever-you-study jobs are not good investments. If that other job improved your speaking abilities, bolstered your confidence and so on, then you should consider this option as well. What I’m saying here is that you have to think about the long-term here.

If you only stick with seemingly good short-term gains, you might end up like Enron. If you focus on investing for the long-term you can end up like Hershey or Berkshire Hathaway.

Remember: You are worth investing a lot of time and money in. Invest in that company, do whatever you can to make its net worth grow in the long-term, and watch that baby grow! Once you are paying out crazy dividends and your cash flow is a flood, remember ol’ Josh at The Gravy Way: I accept all donations. ;)

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If you enjoyed these learning tips and motivational strategies, maybe you'll enjoy the other posts. Please bookmark this page (Ctrl-D) or check out the archive/categories to the right. Better yet, tell a friend! (Click the envelope below this.)