I haven't posted anything to my blog in a long time. That's probably because I was running around randomly, with no direction or purpose. I was just posting my ideas and experiences to try to see what other people had to say.
Therefore, I'm going to revolutionize the purpose of my blog and give it a direction. Instead, I'm going to blog about raising kids, and how I think it should be done. At a minimum, if no one else gets anything out of my posts, this will serve for me a means to log my ideas for when I do actually have kids. I have a long way to go in that department, but that's ok, you can't be too prepared for something like that.
In a way, my blog is still about leadership, as it will attempt to show how to raise children with the goal of turning them into leaders at a young age. Children are more capable of being guided and shown the right way, as they don't have nearly as many preconceived notions about the world. Also, one is most empowered to succeed (e.g. the parent in terms of raising their children) when something as important is put on the line as their children's futures. Only when you take it upon yourself to see others succeed will you learn the most and the fastest yourself.
From now on, I'll post Lessons, which will comprise of the lesson to be learned; why it is important to learn the lesson and how it may affect someone's job, family, or even society; personal experiences in how I learned the lesson; and finally some practical examples about how one could conduct excercises designed to assist teaching the lesson to someone, namely your children. Every practical excercise will include the goal of the child in terms of the tasks they should try to achieve and steps you should take as they progress through their tasks to ensure they understand the concepts and see the whole picture. Most importantly, it will be clear as to how to explain the why, where without it, the lesson may not be learned at all.
I will warn you though, that although most of my ideas are going to be derived out of my experiences from the Army, they will be toned down, but still difficult to accomplish. I believe the value of anything is nevery truly appreciated unless a lot of blood, sweat, and tears are sacrificed for it. In other words, it isn't worth it or there is something wrong with it if it was too easy.
That's the conclusion to how I'm going to Revolutionize my blog. I hope you all stay tuned and provide feedback, criticism, and even your own ideas and experiences.
Jibba
August 20, 2010
January 11, 2010
Failing at Leading
No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. This is especially true with leaders, and even more so with developing leaders. Unfortunately, this is contrasted with the idea that leaders are always being watched, scrutinized, and their mistakes are sores that other people will try to exploit. You will always have to face this challenge, but you have to learn to overcome it.
"Leaders live in fish bowl and are always being watched. They should always be conscious of that fact and take advantage of it."
- Gene Klann
How can you take advantage of this situation? Instead of focusing on the negative outcomes of your mistakes, reflect upon yourself why you failed, and what you will do to prevent it from happening again. You must be willing and motivated to get back up and do it again.
"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we"; they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."
- Peter Drucker
I believe if you can effectively get your "watchers" to perceive that you follow this rule, if you will, then they will start to see that they are a part of the "we", and their scrutiny will no longer be focused on just you.
"Leaders live in fish bowl and are always being watched. They should always be conscious of that fact and take advantage of it."
- Gene Klann
How can you take advantage of this situation? Instead of focusing on the negative outcomes of your mistakes, reflect upon yourself why you failed, and what you will do to prevent it from happening again. You must be willing and motivated to get back up and do it again.
"The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we"; they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done."
- Peter Drucker
I believe if you can effectively get your "watchers" to perceive that you follow this rule, if you will, then they will start to see that they are a part of the "we", and their scrutiny will no longer be focused on just you.
October 26, 2009
Making Mistakes is in Fact a Good Thing
I hear too often about people getting their heads chopped off for making mistakes. I, too, have gotten the worst treatment possible when I have made mistakes. This is sad because we have all heard too often, and we all know too well that mistakes are in fact opportunities. Mistakes are opportunities for you to identify where a process or idea fails. It allows you to modify things such that they don't fail again. They test people and can tell you the individuals who are strong enough to get up and try again.
"The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses."
- Napoleon Hill
"The journey is the reward."
- Chinese Proverb
"Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
- Orison Swett Marden
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know."
- William Saroyan
I think I made my point about the benefits of failing at something. I believe it is also clear that you need to embrace your own failures, expect them to happen, and don't let yourself down when they do. Instead, get up and try to learn from your mistakes enough where you can do it again and again till you do succeed.
Now, sometimes it's hard to do it the wrong way, especially if you know how to do it the right way. The easiest way I find that I remember the good way is to always ask, "What are you going to do differently?"
Opposite side of the spectrum, if someone is continually and shows no progress in trying to learn, and they won't or can't hear what you tell them to think about differently, then they have failed the bad way, and sometimes it isn't worth pursuing. As long as you make an honest effort to help, then there is only so much you can do.
What do you think? What are other ways in which you can encourage other people to pick themselves up and keep going?
"The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses."
- Napoleon Hill
"The journey is the reward."
- Chinese Proverb
"Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds."
- Orison Swett Marden
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know."
- William Saroyan
I think I made my point about the benefits of failing at something. I believe it is also clear that you need to embrace your own failures, expect them to happen, and don't let yourself down when they do. Instead, get up and try to learn from your mistakes enough where you can do it again and again till you do succeed.
Now, sometimes it's hard to do it the wrong way, especially if you know how to do it the right way. The easiest way I find that I remember the good way is to always ask, "What are you going to do differently?"
Opposite side of the spectrum, if someone is continually and shows no progress in trying to learn, and they won't or can't hear what you tell them to think about differently, then they have failed the bad way, and sometimes it isn't worth pursuing. As long as you make an honest effort to help, then there is only so much you can do.
What do you think? What are other ways in which you can encourage other people to pick themselves up and keep going?
June 04, 2009
Too Much Cost Reduction?
There are many things a leader has to think about and provide in order to have the opportunity to be a great leader. Without some of these requirements, the only other way to achieve success is through creativity.
In AIT, I was the one guy who went around and made sure everyone else was doing what they were suppose to during "working hours", which was for the most part cleaning, raking, sweeping, etc. I like getting my hands dirty, but if I was caught cleaning and not supervising, I would have gotten in trouble myself.
There was one day the Seargants wanted our area to look good because there was a chance that a Colonel was going to walk through. They had everyone working outside, and they wanted us to mostly focus on the sidewalks. I don't think the Colonel ever came, but that's not the point.
Out of about 350 people that were suppose to be cleaning, we had 1 push broom. All of our other brooms were destroyed somehow, where the only other somewhat working brooms we had didn't have a handle, so to use these would require a lot of kneeling and sweeping with your hands, which isn't very practical.
This got me to realize one thing about being in any kind of leadership position: you are suppose to ensure your workers have the resources necessary to do their job. Before this experience, that concept seemed too practical that I didn't really think about it, and after this experience I realized just how important it is.
If you can't provide the proper resources for your workers, you better find an alternative to fixing the problem. I wasn't about to make the poor soldiers go through any kind of trouble to clean the sidewalks, so I had almost anyone incapable of doing any real work filter out the dirty rocks to make it appear they were doing something. Maybe this wasn't the best solution, but it got everyone who participated out of getting into any kind of trouble. (There were, however, people who didn't listen very well, and they were caught and taught some lessons, but not by me.)
Do you have any examples of where leadership failed to supply you with the right tools and still expect a big job to get done? Did you do anything creative to solve the seemingly impossible task?
In AIT, I was the one guy who went around and made sure everyone else was doing what they were suppose to during "working hours", which was for the most part cleaning, raking, sweeping, etc. I like getting my hands dirty, but if I was caught cleaning and not supervising, I would have gotten in trouble myself.
There was one day the Seargants wanted our area to look good because there was a chance that a Colonel was going to walk through. They had everyone working outside, and they wanted us to mostly focus on the sidewalks. I don't think the Colonel ever came, but that's not the point.
Out of about 350 people that were suppose to be cleaning, we had 1 push broom. All of our other brooms were destroyed somehow, where the only other somewhat working brooms we had didn't have a handle, so to use these would require a lot of kneeling and sweeping with your hands, which isn't very practical.
This got me to realize one thing about being in any kind of leadership position: you are suppose to ensure your workers have the resources necessary to do their job. Before this experience, that concept seemed too practical that I didn't really think about it, and after this experience I realized just how important it is.
If you can't provide the proper resources for your workers, you better find an alternative to fixing the problem. I wasn't about to make the poor soldiers go through any kind of trouble to clean the sidewalks, so I had almost anyone incapable of doing any real work filter out the dirty rocks to make it appear they were doing something. Maybe this wasn't the best solution, but it got everyone who participated out of getting into any kind of trouble. (There were, however, people who didn't listen very well, and they were caught and taught some lessons, but not by me.)
Do you have any examples of where leadership failed to supply you with the right tools and still expect a big job to get done? Did you do anything creative to solve the seemingly impossible task?
May 27, 2009
Definition: Attitude
To see what I'm doing here, please read my blog post "The Power of Quote Hunting". This will explain what and why I'm doing this post like this.
Today, I define Attitude. (NOTE that this definition is saying "Optimism" and "Attitude" are almost one in the same, and its byproduct is "Happiness".)
If you read this blog post, Opposite Ends of the Spectrum, it was about attitude. Right after I posted that, I read through many attitude quotes, and doing so actually lifted my spirits because everything I was saying was being spoken back to me in many different ways.
This is basically what my brother told me that changed my life, but through other peoples' quotes:
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind."
- James Truslow Adams
"Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh."
- Katharine Houghton Hepburn
"There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control."
- Leo Buscaglia
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
-Winston Churchill
The following quotes recognize that you have no control over things that happen to you. What you do have control over is your attitude, and your perception about what is going on:
"Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it."
- Irving Berlin
"We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails."
- Anonymous
"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars."
- Frederick Langbridge
"The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time."
- Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, American Football Coach
"One is only last in line until someone comes up behind."
- Chris Pedersen
"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."
- Francesca Reigler
"Attitude is your acceptance of the natural laws, or your rejection of the natural laws."
- Jim Rohn
It is outright stupid to try to make yourself happy by trying to change everything around you, instead of trying to change the only thing you have control over:
"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts."
- Samuel Johnson
Here, you can see that attitude really is everything:
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."
- William James
"Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results."
- Dupree Jordan
"How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking."
- David Joseph Schwartz
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."
- W. Clement Stone
Why would you choose to be pessimistic? (NOTE you have a choice!) What have other brilliant people said about this?
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."
- Winston Churchill
"An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?"
- Michel De Saint-Pierre
"Optimism is the cheerful frame of mind that enables a teakettle to sing, though in hot water up to its nose."
- Anonymous
"Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves."
- Italian proverb
This is a great one to remember:
"It is important to live each day with a positive perspective. It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist, but it is wise to look beyond the problem to the possibilities that are in it. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, 'He's so big, we can never kill him.' But David looked at the same giant and thought, 'He's so big, I can't miss him."
- Dr. Dale E. Turner
"It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist..." True, don't live in fantasy. Acknowledge the bad things in life. Being too optimistic may prove unhealthy:
"An optimist is a driver who thinks that empty space at the curb won't have a hydrant beside it."
- Changing Times, American Business Magazine
Instead, realize that sometimes the "pot of gold" is worse than cornflakes, but laugh about it.
Morty (Christopher Walken): "Remember the leprechaun?"
Michael (Adam Sandler): "Huh?"
Morty: "The one from the cereal ad."
Michael: "'They're magically delicious.' That guy?"
Morty: "Yeah. He's always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But when he gets there at the end of the day... it's just corn flakes."
- from the movie "Click"
Always remember that your prize at the end of your hard work is never going to turn out what you expect. However, you can't miss the real prizes from your efforts that are hidden for most people.
"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."
- Maurice Setter
These are interesting quotes that show you have to find it in yourself to do something or change, it just makes it so much easier to do so:
"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to."
- Annie Gottlier
"Nothing is interesting if you're not interested."
- Helen MacInness
What I like about this next quote is it holds more than one meaning. It says that no one really finds what they are looking for in life. It also says that if you only look for negative things, you will find negative things.
"The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders."
- Foster's Law
This is the motherload quote that has it all (that really probably deserves more than a blog post for itself):
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes."
- Charles Swindoll
There may very well be something wrong with you if this doesn't make you think:
"Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"
- Anonymous
Need a motivation to smile? Try these on for size:
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright
"Just smiling can do wonders for your attitude."
- Anonymous
"Smile: if you can't lift the corners, let the middle sag."
- Anonymous
"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks."
- Anonymous
I really hope that by now that one person is starting to see the picture, thus accomplishing my goal. But you ask, "Fine, this is all true and I believe it, but what about when things go bad for me, and all of this knowledge goes out the window? What then?" For me, I use a single quote to help me remember all of this. It is my favorite of all time, by one of the most brilliant men to ever walk this earth:
"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
- Winston Churchill
You have to find your own phrase or personal experience yourself to help you remember these powerful ideas when you need them the most in your life.
Then, I leave you with this powerbomb of a quote:
"Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people."
- Zig Ziglar
Today, I define Attitude. (NOTE that this definition is saying "Optimism" and "Attitude" are almost one in the same, and its byproduct is "Happiness".)
If you read this blog post, Opposite Ends of the Spectrum, it was about attitude. Right after I posted that, I read through many attitude quotes, and doing so actually lifted my spirits because everything I was saying was being spoken back to me in many different ways.
This is basically what my brother told me that changed my life, but through other peoples' quotes:
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind."
- James Truslow Adams
"Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh."
- Katharine Houghton Hepburn
"There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control."
- Leo Buscaglia
"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."
-Winston Churchill
The following quotes recognize that you have no control over things that happen to you. What you do have control over is your attitude, and your perception about what is going on:
"Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it."
- Irving Berlin
"We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails."
- Anonymous
"Two men look out the same prison bars; one sees mud and the other stars."
- Frederick Langbridge
"The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time."
- Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, American Football Coach
"One is only last in line until someone comes up behind."
- Chris Pedersen
"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same."
- Francesca Reigler
"Attitude is your acceptance of the natural laws, or your rejection of the natural laws."
- Jim Rohn
It is outright stupid to try to make yourself happy by trying to change everything around you, instead of trying to change the only thing you have control over:
"He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts."
- Samuel Johnson
Here, you can see that attitude really is everything:
"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome."
- William James
"Success or failure depends more upon attitude than upon capacity successful men act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly, and you will be amazed at the positive results."
- Dupree Jordan
"How we think shows through in how we act. Attitudes are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking."
- David Joseph Schwartz
"There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."
- W. Clement Stone
Why would you choose to be pessimistic? (NOTE you have a choice!) What have other brilliant people said about this?
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else."
- Winston Churchill
"An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?"
- Michel De Saint-Pierre
"Optimism is the cheerful frame of mind that enables a teakettle to sing, though in hot water up to its nose."
- Anonymous
"Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves."
- Italian proverb
This is a great one to remember:
"It is important to live each day with a positive perspective. It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist, but it is wise to look beyond the problem to the possibilities that are in it. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, 'He's so big, we can never kill him.' But David looked at the same giant and thought, 'He's so big, I can't miss him."
- Dr. Dale E. Turner
"It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist..." True, don't live in fantasy. Acknowledge the bad things in life. Being too optimistic may prove unhealthy:
"An optimist is a driver who thinks that empty space at the curb won't have a hydrant beside it."
- Changing Times, American Business Magazine
Instead, realize that sometimes the "pot of gold" is worse than cornflakes, but laugh about it.
Morty (Christopher Walken): "Remember the leprechaun?"
Michael (Adam Sandler): "Huh?"
Morty: "The one from the cereal ad."
Michael: "'They're magically delicious.' That guy?"
Morty: "Yeah. He's always chasing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But when he gets there at the end of the day... it's just corn flakes."
- from the movie "Click"
Always remember that your prize at the end of your hard work is never going to turn out what you expect. However, you can't miss the real prizes from your efforts that are hidden for most people.
"Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold."
- Maurice Setter
These are interesting quotes that show you have to find it in yourself to do something or change, it just makes it so much easier to do so:
"It's so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to."
- Annie Gottlier
"Nothing is interesting if you're not interested."
- Helen MacInness
What I like about this next quote is it holds more than one meaning. It says that no one really finds what they are looking for in life. It also says that if you only look for negative things, you will find negative things.
"The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders."
- Foster's Law
This is the motherload quote that has it all (that really probably deserves more than a blog post for itself):
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there is no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes."
- Charles Swindoll
There may very well be something wrong with you if this doesn't make you think:
"Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"
- Anonymous
Need a motivation to smile? Try these on for size:
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright
"Just smiling can do wonders for your attitude."
- Anonymous
"Smile: if you can't lift the corners, let the middle sag."
- Anonymous
"A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks."
- Anonymous
I really hope that by now that one person is starting to see the picture, thus accomplishing my goal. But you ask, "Fine, this is all true and I believe it, but what about when things go bad for me, and all of this knowledge goes out the window? What then?" For me, I use a single quote to help me remember all of this. It is my favorite of all time, by one of the most brilliant men to ever walk this earth:
"If you're going through Hell, keep going."
- Winston Churchill
You have to find your own phrase or personal experience yourself to help you remember these powerful ideas when you need them the most in your life.
Then, I leave you with this powerbomb of a quote:
"Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people."
- Zig Ziglar
The Power of Quote Hunting
The goal of this post is to get at least one person to understand the power of "quote hunting", and start doing so themselves.
One of the things I like to do is read quotes for hours at a time. I save the ones that are clear, simple to read, and to the point, but most importantly that have a big impact on myself. The reason I do this is because you can learn a surprisingly amount of lessons from reading and interpreting what someone has said.
I very recently found another benefit from this "quote hunting" practice. Through a series of related quotes, you can build a story and/or definition about a topic. You can pull together many different perspectives about an issue that can define how it is or should be. It can change your life.
From here on, you'll find "Definition" or "Story" posts where I list out some of my favorite quotes on a topic that may redefine how you think about a certain topic, and usually in a way to potentially change how people do things or think.
One of the things I like to do is read quotes for hours at a time. I save the ones that are clear, simple to read, and to the point, but most importantly that have a big impact on myself. The reason I do this is because you can learn a surprisingly amount of lessons from reading and interpreting what someone has said.
I very recently found another benefit from this "quote hunting" practice. Through a series of related quotes, you can build a story and/or definition about a topic. You can pull together many different perspectives about an issue that can define how it is or should be. It can change your life.
From here on, you'll find "Definition" or "Story" posts where I list out some of my favorite quotes on a topic that may redefine how you think about a certain topic, and usually in a way to potentially change how people do things or think.
May 16, 2009
Teaching to... Learn Something?
Out of my four years of college, I really only started to learn how to effectively learn, or study, when I was on my last few terms. If I would have known what I did then at the beginning of my college career, I would have learned more than I actually did and still had more time for fun.
What I did was for each midterm and final, I created my own studyguide of what I expected would be on the test. Then I took this studyguide with me to group study sessions, which effectively put me as the "teacher" where everyone else listened to me, most likely because I was the only one prepared. I believe that helped everyone because all my "students" said they think they did better on the tests, and I know I did better, as a result of my studyguide.
In the end what I was doing was telling the others what to know for the test. We had already heard it from the real instructor, but the fact that you teach (or reteach) it to someone else makes it effective because of a few reasons.
First, you are using more parts of your brain to digest the information.
Let's consider reading as a form of learning, for example. Reading requires the parts of your brain that you use to see, convert symbols into letters and then words, then interpret the meanings.
Then there is taking notes in class, which is better than just reading because you are using more of your brain to have to listen, and also then write down in shorthand.
The next best thing is saying something aloud. This requires you to read, understand, then use the part of your brain to convert your thoughts into vocal sounds (you actually have to listen to yourself, too, incorporating some of the benefits of taking notes).
Then we have teaching. You use the benefits of reading, saying the ideas aloud, listening to yourself, and validating that its correct. If you tell someone something, and you know its wrong, you will likely correct yourself, especially in this situation where you want to get the information right. Then, if you try to create the studyguide approach, you are also taking notes, except it isn't in shorthand and thus may be more thorough.
Notice that when you take the time to setup a study guide that you intend to help other people understand a topic, you are helping yourself MORE than you are helping your peers. It is important to ensure there are peers to teach because you can't be the teacher and the student at the same time, although you can be a teacher and a student in a specific time period, such as a study session.
One other important aspect of this approach is you may not be able to collect all the information in the studyguide. You will then be able to identify what you need to figure out. However, in your study session, one of your peers may know the answer, allowing you an opportunity to learn from someone else.
What I did was for each midterm and final, I created my own studyguide of what I expected would be on the test. Then I took this studyguide with me to group study sessions, which effectively put me as the "teacher" where everyone else listened to me, most likely because I was the only one prepared. I believe that helped everyone because all my "students" said they think they did better on the tests, and I know I did better, as a result of my studyguide.
In the end what I was doing was telling the others what to know for the test. We had already heard it from the real instructor, but the fact that you teach (or reteach) it to someone else makes it effective because of a few reasons.
First, you are using more parts of your brain to digest the information.
Let's consider reading as a form of learning, for example. Reading requires the parts of your brain that you use to see, convert symbols into letters and then words, then interpret the meanings.
Then there is taking notes in class, which is better than just reading because you are using more of your brain to have to listen, and also then write down in shorthand.
The next best thing is saying something aloud. This requires you to read, understand, then use the part of your brain to convert your thoughts into vocal sounds (you actually have to listen to yourself, too, incorporating some of the benefits of taking notes).
Then we have teaching. You use the benefits of reading, saying the ideas aloud, listening to yourself, and validating that its correct. If you tell someone something, and you know its wrong, you will likely correct yourself, especially in this situation where you want to get the information right. Then, if you try to create the studyguide approach, you are also taking notes, except it isn't in shorthand and thus may be more thorough.
Notice that when you take the time to setup a study guide that you intend to help other people understand a topic, you are helping yourself MORE than you are helping your peers. It is important to ensure there are peers to teach because you can't be the teacher and the student at the same time, although you can be a teacher and a student in a specific time period, such as a study session.
One other important aspect of this approach is you may not be able to collect all the information in the studyguide. You will then be able to identify what you need to figure out. However, in your study session, one of your peers may know the answer, allowing you an opportunity to learn from someone else.
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