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050 Considering wisdom
A weekly newsletter from BobBarnardnm.com
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Please share this with your friends so we can encourage others to consider wisdom.
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Thoughts on the intersection of Society/Culture, Productivity/You, and Wisdom/Knowledge.
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Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. Benjamin Franklin
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My WEEK
This has been the second week since I fell, broke my nose, and dripped blood all over Roswell, and I am almost completely healed. Besides that, I am trying to get those things that need to be done before I leave in less than two weeks to go to Melbourne, Australia. This has been my year to travel, and it will be completed by mid-July.
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Life is messy, and it is full of stress. We are constantly bombarded by advertisers who say we need more or the newest and shiniest car, etc. Companies are driven to improve their products or find new ones. Individuals are brought up to try to be happier and more prosperous than ever. We are taught to improve continuously. Be more productive and bounce from one task to another as fast as possible.
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But this formula will only result in stress, poor health, and poorer relationships with your spouse and children.
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Living a life of wisdom tells us repeatedly that the secret is to learn to control ourselves. Finally, we control how we see ourselves in this chaotic world. We make and control our reality.
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Understand the lens through which you see what is happening around you and how you frame what is happening. Do you see it from a victim's perspective? I have no control. Or do you see it from a bystander's point of view? This is what is going on, and I don't have to let it affect me. You can learn this control through meditation and reflection on your actions daily. Ask yourself, how did I react and why?
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Understand your mindset. Dr. Carol Dweck defines mindset types in her book The New Psychology of Success as Growth and Fixed. Others define and subdivide mindset into as many as seven categories. Your mindset is the beliefs that shape how you feel and make sense of the world around you. The example that Dr. Dweck uses that resonated with me is you sort of prepare for an exam and do poorly. Your mindset determines how you view the result. For example, with a fixed mindset, you might think I did poorly because the teacher didn't teach well or I just couldn't learn that. But with a growth mindset, you see it as a challenge for you to work harder and do better the next time.
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Perception Is our ability to observe the world around us using our senses and then to understand it using our mental maps of reality. As we participate in the world around us, we are bombarded with information from our minds that enables us to conclude. For example, if I look out my window and see the trees swaying, I immediately think the wind is blowing. Similar to the mindset, we must be careful about the conclusions we draw from our senses. For example, I don't consider politicians to be necessarily truthful. So, I take whatever is said with a lot of skepticism.
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Be mindful. Another way to learn how to control our minds and the world is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is about being conscious and fully present in the moment. It is about being completely aware and focused on what is going on. You can't control your mind or yourself if you aren't fully aware of what is happening around you.
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You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius
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1. How can I be more focused and mindful?
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2. How can I limit the information I receive so that it is the best available?
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3. How can I make sure I have a growth mindset?
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1. Write down each occasion you responded from a fixed mindset in your journal and reflect on why.
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2. List those times you jumped to the wrong conclusion.
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3. Write down the reasons you jumped to each wrong conclusion.
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