Information to Insight

Information (facts provided or learned about something or someone) hear, read or observe.

Its external, till you try it yourself. Practice it. Then it becomes…..

Knowledge.

Something you know and are familiar with.

When an experience allows you to use that knowledge it becomes….

Wisdom. 

You build your ability to think and act with experience, knowledge and understanding.

A continous exploration of these experiences to make meaning and learn from them it becomes…..

Insight.

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Lost Voices

Darius Simpson & Scout Bostley – “Lost Voices” (CUPSI 2015)

“You know nothing of silence, until someone who cannot know your pain tells you how to fix it”

“The problem for speaking up for each other is that everyone is left without a voice”

Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh curiousity = opportunity

Just discovered the Sugru, by Jane, really randomly. I read her article in the brilliant book Make Your Mark: The creative’s Guide to building a business with impact. Went online 5 minutes later and stumbled on this post of an interview of hers on swiss miss. I guess it was meant to be 🙂

http://iansanders.com/blog/14113453/jane

It’s a great interview and her article in the book is also brilliant. She talks about collaborating with customers, instead of waiting till the final product, showing them what they can do and empowering them to be your ambassadors. I also love how she discovered this product by experimeting at art school. She discovered that mixing silicone and wood, made this thing, bouncy. Her curiousity did not stop there she wanted to test the limits of what she’d made, what was the problem or opportunity it might solve?

“as a community we are collaborating towards a common goal, and that in itself, when it is recognised and reinforced through genuine conversation, is the most powerful reward”

Sugru- 21st Century Duct Tape

Fix the schedule you want

Brilliant article by Cal Newport on time management. He argues that we should fix the schedule we want and then work towards it, instead of trying to make our current schedule work.

Cal Newport  writes an amazing blog called Study Hacks, exploring ways to increase focus, time management and productivity.

“You could fill any arbitrary number of hours with what feels to be productive work. Between e-mail, and crucial web surfing, and to-do lists that, in the age of David Allen, grow to lengths that rival the bible, there is always something you could be doing. At some point, however, you have to put a stake in the ground and say: I know I have a never-ending stream of work, but this is when I’m going to face it. If you don’t, you’ll let this work push you around like a bully. It will force you into tiring, inefficient schedules, and you’ll end up more stressed and no more accomplished.

Fix the schedule you want. Then make everything else fit around your needs. Be flexible. Be efficient. If you can’t make it fit: change your work. But in the end, don’t compromise”

This is my goal for the week to create my ideal schedule & work towards it. Check out the blog post here..

Laugh at everything

Day 4: Teach us something that you do well
http://yourturnchallenge.tumblr.com

I found this question the hardest. I know I can do things like making models, or graphics well but they don’t seem like special skills. It’s taken me ages to work it out but it just hit me. Something i do well is laugh. I smile at everything. It’s got to the point now where I smile at people without realising it.

I am notorious for my loud, tinkling laugh. At university people would tell me they could hear me laughing from the other side. Or I would turn a corner and they would tell me they’d heard me laughing before they’d seen me. I don’t know why I laugh or smile so much. My grandmother was the same and my mother and siblings are the same.

I don’t know how to teach laughter. The only thing I can say is laugh at everything. Most things in life are funny. Try it even for one day, it’ll change you and the people around you.

I want to be like my Grandfather

By Grace M

activesocioplastics 

Day 2: Tell us about something that’s important to you

I want to be like my Grandfather. I want to live a life of integrity. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be as wealthy as possible. I had read rich dad poor dad as a teenager and realised at perhaps too young an age that the word was sqewed towards the wealthy. And I thought that the only way to get heard was to have power and power seemed to come from wealth.

Then my Grandfather passed away 2 years ago and I realised that I wanted to live a life like his. Although I wasn’t able to attend his funeral, I heard stories of the hundreds of people that attended, his children, grand children, students, congregation. He had been a teacher and later on a reverend, not the biggest professions, but his life had had such an impact that even decades after they’d been tutored by him, his students came. They spoke of his influence and encouragement, pushing them to reach for their best.

When I think of my grandfather, I think of integrity, peace and wisdom. He had a mental and spiritual strength, that came with age and wisdom. He was the calmest person I have ever met. Experience had given him a peace that transcends whatever was happening around him. My grandmother was his opposite. A bubbly, happy woman but you could see that their love for each other had only deepened through the decades. But what I remember the most about him was his integrity. He was known for his honesty and strength of character.

I’ve realised that more than money, or whatever else, is living a life where I can look back and realise I’ve lived the best life I could. A life like my grandfathers.  Where I’d made the most of the opportunities presented to me. Where I’d used my talents and skills to serve others. A life filled with love, laughter and integrity.

New Glasgow Society_ the power of a cause

I attended the committee meeting of the New Glasgow Society last week. It’s an organisation that I have always been curious about as I always pass their shopfront nearby.

It was fascinating to meet the members, who are a mix of people  Some have been there since it started in 1965. They spoke of the Wee Green Book and how it inspired many of them to protest the large urban reconstruction projects that were happening in Glasgow at the time.  They spoke of the archives of the newsletters which showed proposals, many of which were never built. It all just reminded me of the power of a cause and the power of individuals to make positive changes in their environment.

It is fascinating and I definitely want to find out more and keep involved. This year will be the 50th anniversary so keep an eye out for the wonderful series of events that will be happening throughout the year! 🙂

http://www.newglasgowsociety.org/