Better

Coach Steele reminds us to read regularly.  Really great advice.  It can really transport us out of our limited thinking into new ways of understanding and appreciating the world and our potential contribution to it.

I just finished an amazing book.  Better , A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande.  Wow.  So inspiring.  And fascinating. So many life lessons on diligence, ethical dilemmas/"doing right," and ingenuity.  Fabulous writing about fascinating failure and success in medicine such as battlefield surgery, the fight to eradicate polio, ethical dilemmas in meting out the death penalty, and third world public hospitals.  I found myself considering how his findings had implications for my field of education, which I consider to be nearly as life and death a field as medicine, and parenting... Fail a child and fail ourselves and our nation.

Gawande's no-nonsense advice to us all is to aim to be a 'positive deviant.' He suggests we ask 'unscripted questions,' or that we do what we can to learn about others, to make connections to other people.  He exhorts us to never complain, because it's too easy and not of any use.  He suggests we count how often we succeed and how often we fail, in order to come to new understandings.  He tells us to write something, anything, and share it with someone else.  And finally, he tells us to change, to try new things, to become and early adopter.  "Be willing to recognize the inadequacies in what you do and to seek out solutions."

Sound familiar? Those who are most successful are most honestly reflective and willing to make changes in their lives without shame for past mistakes.  Tools teaches us these life lessons, too.  I think we should all read Better or other inspirational books and article, such as those sent out by Tools,  for reinforcement.  Good leads to better.

Much love to my fellow seekers,

Kayla

Comment (2) View (755) Show support

Tags: better, success, Change