SCRABBLE: When Something Changes
One of the constants in our world is CHANGE; whether you like it or not. Sometimes, just when we like the way that our life is going, someone gets sick, someone loses their job, or someone wins the lotto. Each of these circumstances dramatically alter the lives of the primary person, and like the ripples on a pond, influence countless others in that person’s circle. The recent earthquake in Haiti has changed the lives of millions and the actions of Tiger Woods has disrupted the lives, not only of his family, but also the golf community and sponsors that were counting on him for a pristine image.
When change occurs, it takes a while for the ripples to calm down again on the pond. The bigger the splash, the bigger the initial ripples, the longer it takes for calm to be restored.
One of my scrabble students followed my lead and began to study the top 3 stems. After a day or two he complained to me that he seemed to be more confused than ever, he was very frustrated after trying to assimilate all the new information.
Like it or not, that is part of the learning process. The first step in learning things is to disrupt what was there before by adding something new. When the learner perists and familiarity causes the ripples to calm again, the new information will be inplace, thereby expanding ones’ knowledge and memory. Most learning is a process; it is not an event, like learning a single phone number.
Attitude plays a huge roll in dealing with change. Without diminishing the calamity suffered in Haiti, there were tens of thousands who perished and yet there were countless others who survived. The people pulled from under the rubble after several days must have had a tremendous will to survive, wrapped around a very positive attitude.
Those who study word lists with passion, do so knowing that others before them followed the same path to mastery. Others who give up after a day, a week, a month, or longer saying, “I can’t”, simply lack the kind of attitude necessary to conquer change.
YES YOU CAN.
(That will be the title of my talk on Thursday, February 11, at Laguna Woods Village, Laguna Woods, California. CLICK HERE. Admission is FREE. Even though the talk is pointed toward computer enthusiasts, the message is timeless and can be applied by all to their own area of interest.)