i found this blog by david weiss and i wanted to list some of my favorite quotes that are on his blog.
on the subject of learning:
I’m beginning to think that what any given situation can teach you depends largely on the person experiencing the situation and very little on the experience itself. Put another way, there’s a great difference between 50 years of experience and 1 years worth of experience repeated 50 times.
Another reason why some can feel “informed” when in fact they are not is that they have lost the hunger to learn. They’ve lost the desire to learn and grow.
Closely related to the lack of desire to learn is the desire to avoid being wrong. So much in school is focused on being right, knowing the right answer to a test or the correct proof or solution. In sports, no one likes to lose. Everyone likes a winner! But this desire can work into our minds in a limiting way. At work I would say, “We don’t fail half as much as we need to.” I still think this way, but now I’ve found a new reason: Failing keeps our mental muscles and joints from stiffing with pride and forming into the arthritis of the mind.
on the subject of finishing:
Life does not reward us for effort expended. Finishing is required. (my favorite)
[to keep moving forward]…is not always easy. Sometimes I would come home from work so frustrated with how slow things were going and how little progress was being made, I’d tell my wife I just needed some time alone to cool down. I’d go into my room, open my laptop and write a blog post. I’d post it and point to it while saying to my wife, “There, I did it. I produced something today! It may not be much, but at least I produced something tangible!” You’ve got to keep in the habit of producing or finishing. You can’t let those muscles atrophy.
on the subject of change:
A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
My Dad would say, “Experience is always in the first person,” meaning that it’s a good idea to learn from others, but most of the time we don’t.
Most leaders say, “You need to do this… You need to change… Good luck! See you later.” Instead of, “You can change. I can help.” (ow, that hurt me.)
It’s important to setup an environment that balances building the person and getting the job done. (hmm…sounds like this post i wrote)
if i have to pick one post that i like the best, it would have to be the one about “thoughts about change” from his dad. i encourage you to check out his blog and read some of the posts. he used to be a programmer for microsoft (he quit january 08) so many of his stories are about his job and “tech” stuff…but the principles are great!
what was your favorite quote from his site?
The Manchester Family 