Write On ....

Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Tony Robbins, ....and so many others. From each one ( and countless others) I have gleaned something of value. The things I don´t agree with, or find offensive...I release back to where it came and do not absorb. My heart stays  in waiting mode to learn a new chunk of information or a new powerful principle.

It is rare to find someone to learn from with whom I find nothing that I disagree with.

Takes some courage to still go ahead and learn from someone when you realize that you don´t see eye to to eye on all matters.

Perhaps that is the result of passing age 50, we just learn how to get along with others, even when they don´t align with your personal values.

In church circles, it can become very tempting to surround one with those of the same denomination who tow precisely the same chorus line as you do.

But what is God´s will on this matter? Should we only learn from folks who are almost identical to ourselves?

I prefer to think of the verse...¨The earth is the Lord´s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 Kjv.

The spirit of that verse speaks to me of freedom....of acknowledging that everything and everyone belongs to God and therefore we, as Believers in Jesus, have access to all that belongs to Him.

God has used all kinds of people to bless me in life. I learn from all kinds of people and all kinds of books and all kinds of creators. I will continue to do so, as God allows.  I pray that I will live to a really ripe old age, so I can learn so much more! I want my brain stretched.

To  be really restrictive in who I am willing to learn from would be a mistake, in my humble opinion.  I realize  that many people consider it a great honour to teach another human being a new skill or piece of knowledge. They consider it flattering to slow down and teach someone who is eager to learn and listen.

Please friends, don´t draw your circles too tightly. You never know whom God may use to bring you to your next level in life. Truth is often stranger than fiction. Someone that you may least expect to be well learned or an expert in some field, may become a blessed mentor and teacher in your life. Someone who dresses oddly or who has an unusual hair style may have great knowledge in another area of life outside of fashion and appearances. 

Remember the late great Albert Einstein? He was often sporting a wild hair do and didn´t drive a car because he had bigger things to focus his brain power upon. If someone had negative opinions of people who don´t know how to drive and then happened to bump into Albert Einstein, they would have avoided mingling with Mr. Einstein and thus missed out on an opportunity to spend time with a legendary genius.

Try not, friends, to judge folks harshly based on their appearance. Learn to listen quietly and humbly to strangers. It may be that there is a genius who is closer to you than you think!

If  we have any kind of appetite for learning, we will find knowledge all around us. It is inevitable. Ask God to give you a humble heart to learn what is new and empowering. Ask God to help you quiet yourself more often, so that you will be in a position to absorb new information. Ask God to prepare you to accept the next mentor of ideas He is going to bring into your circle.

Learners listen. They lean in......quietly and respectfully.

Peace friends,

Carla.

All Knowledge is Connected

Sometimes I like to bite off more than I can chew...But then again, sometimes I am surprised with something truly wonderful.

So, in a nutshell, my adventure this past few days has been my attempting to read some non fiction books about the Poincare Conjecture as well as the famous Russian mathematician by the name of Grigory Perelman who solved it.

Whenever I delve into something beyond my comfort zone, I never know what gem I may uncover. Therefore, in wading into the second book I had sourced about said subject matter, I was delighted to hear the author speak about a link to the Black-Scholes Model, which indicates a method for understanding and pricing option contracts.

Option trading is something I taught myself to do, some years ago. That kind of trading was something that I took considerable time and practice to comprehend. Therefore it was wonderfully comforting, when dipping my toe in this strange new mathematical world of Perelman´s that I recognized a familiar theory.

It has been said that when you master one subject, no matter what that subject is, that you will more easily understand and master other subjects. Therefore learning, in and of itself, can be quite empowering and liberating. Especially when we begin to notice the circular nature of knowledge. All knowledge is indeed connected.  When someone becomes an expert in one field of study or practice, he/she will then become more capable of excelling in other unrelated fields of study.

All that God has made in the universes and worlds we know, is governed by the same laws and strategies. When we understand one facet of this diamond of life, we get to understand more easily, other facets of that diamond.

So, Carla what are you trying to say to your friends who dare read your blog today? I am merely saying this. Don´t be afraid to read or study something that is completely foreign to you. Why? Because that study may one just surprise you by allowing you to link it in your mind with something that you have already mastered and fully understand. Then, you will have become a master of not only one fabulous field of study....but two.....and then three or four or 100.

One only need to study the current media friendly billionaire by the name Mr. Elon Musk. His accomplishments stretch from finance, and coding to Space travel and brain surgery. His imagination is unlimited. He has not governed his life with stodgy goals or restrictive fences. He truly lives as if all of life is ¨understandable¨ and ¨conquerable¨. He believes he can....and so he does.

Dream big.....step big and you will live even bigger, my friend.

Peace,

Carla

Beware of "Tik Tok Brain

Some may say that we are simply becoming "fast learners" and able to process information at a faster pace. While that may be the case on a certain level, I have noticed that some of us, myself included, are developing a preference for info sources and reading material that move at the speed of light. Our brains are on visual crack.

Basically, any media that you can't swipe right away from seems a bit "old fashioned" and slow.

Now, I am not trying to slow down humanity. Ok, maybe just a bit. 

But I am noticing that I need to make an intentional effort to sit down and read normal paper bound books.

To sit and read a real book feels awkward and old school and cumbersome, especially when your mind is racing with fast flow media such as Twitter, youtube shorts or Tik Tok.

So, I discovered one way to slow down my brain is simply by reading one page aloud of a paper bound book. This allows more of my 5 senses to be involved in the reading... drawing my auditory  and tactile senses into the act of reading proactively instead of just visually. Just reading one page aloud  calms me down sufficiently to decide if I want to proceed with another page or another paragraph whether silently or on  "out loud" mode. (and yes, I do realize that reading aloud can really annoy room mates or family members :)

I am not going to say anything at all about which kind of book to read, as that is just not the point.

The point is that I would prefer that us humans remain capable of reading real books, real printed books. Even if these books become more expensive because the cost of paper has risen, that's ok.  i believe the process of holding a book, isolates you and your mind with access to the author of the book, without you having the distractions of other apps beeping or signalling for your attention. Paper bound books also have the wonderful option of having us humble readers the ability to write our own thoughts and annotations in the margins. 

Some folks hate to see hand written notes in a paper bound book. But I find it delightful for the most part. The reason being, that some authors become gloated with a sense of importance and have no ears for honest response. Therefore, sometimes the only reasonable outlet for voicing your objection to any author who strays too far from the good path, is a good note of objection in the side margins.

And what would a good post from Carla be without a hint of conspiracy? If all the books we read are only available "online", we are giving "the net" control over what we read and don't read. When we keep and curate a beautiful selection of real books for our homes or businesses or churches, we are protecting that treasure for the future generations. Keep them under lock and key. The last 5 years in North America have shown us a wave of strange censorship has sprung up across the continent. It does not bode well with me.

Treasure the books you have read that opened worlds for you and your mind. Speak of them, write of them and print them up if you can't buy a clean copy. Keep the originals safe under lock and key.

Well, that's all for now.

Peace,

Carla

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