by Gundula Welti
10 Apr 2021
The twenty-first century does not seem to be an era of patience. We pull on the grass to make it grow faster instead of letting nature take its course.
In a hurry to see the result, we forget to enjoy the rich pathway of learning. We make do with results acquired by pressure, which may be good but are rarely excellent.
Michelangelo didn’t keep an eye on his watch to finish his works of art on time.
Should we look at the screen quietly until a fascinating idea appears?
Seek for the adverb that will exactly suit the statement we are writing?
What if we made a real effort to enjoy the process?
Would you like to sing the praises of slowness?
by Gundula Welti
06 Jun 2020
“Walter, my fifteen-year-old son, plays hockey and he was not at all happy with his position in rear defence. He was convinced he was an excellent midfielder, a position from which he could create the attack.
I suggested he write to his trainers to share his ideas instead of keeping his frustrations to himself and letting them build up.
I nearly fell off my chair when my son asked me to read his rough copy. He told me he had used the DESC model (Description – Effect – Solution – Conclusion) that I had explained to him after a management course last year – and he had applied it perfectly!
His trainers thanked him for his frankness, assured him he had talent and began to bring him forward on the field!”
Like Malcolm, we often think that what we share with our teenagers has no effect on them but the reality is that they just need a reason to apply it.
What about you? Have you seen your children use the tools you passed on to them?
by Gundula Welti
08 Apr 2020
Up until about 20 years ago I always put sugar in my coffee. Then, one day I noticed my manager grimacing, and asked why he was looking so disgusted. Apparently he had mistakenly had a sip of a coffee with sugar and he was not happy about it: « You can’t even taste the coffee with all that sweetness! » he complained.
Intrigued by his tirade, I decided to try my coffee without sugar. On day one I thought it was simply awful. On the second day I detected some new tastes that had previously been masked by the sugar. After a few days I realized that I was actually finally able to appreciate the coffee on its own merits. I’ve not looked back.
Recently, I finally did the same thing with tea.
Now, what applies to coffee and tea also applies to other things. Learning for instance. The first attempt at learning something new is often discouraging, and you are tempted to give up. The second time around it seems more attractive – but it’s still an effort. Only once you’ve given something a few tries do the benefits become truly clear, and then a new habit can start to form.
So, what have you given up lately that really deserved a second and third attempt?
