This site is about people, just ordinary ones like you and I, who do extraordinary things. Some start businesses, some start a charity, some just help people but one of the best examples is a lady called Erin Gruwell. Ten years ago (roughly) she was appointed as a new teacher with a class of what appeared to be hopeless write-offs in the Longbeach area of California. Her passion for teaching and getting the best out of this class became a story that has been published in books, made into a film and is now a growing world-wide movement. It is called the Freedom Writers Foundation and is just about the perfect example of someone doing what this site is all about – Start Something Today. She did and many children and youngsters have been the major beneficiaries. I applaud her and support her work – go and take a look too. Buy the film – if you aren’t touched at a very deep level I’d be astonished. If you fancy it you can make a small donation to the Freedom Writers Foundation – it would help many people.
There I was talking with our daughter about or plans for the future and admitting that we were a long way from achieving them? She then came back, quick as a flash with something I’d taught her years ago.In essence what she suggested was:
Know where you are starting from
Find out where you want to end up
Develop a strategy to get you there
So don’t forget to put into practice what you taught (or teach others). Go back and re-evaluate your learning and growing processes. Teach yourself as well as others.
While walking the dog this morning I had a moment to ponder why was I walking the dog? It gets her out and gets her some exercise. I get some fresh air and some exercise, not as much as she does, but it helps me to maintain my levels of fitness or even improve them.
Point 2 for today is “exercise is not a luxury – it is a vital necessity“. I we don’t use a muscle and stretch it then it will wither and die. If we don’t exercise we will lose the ability to do so. You don’t get fit or healthy overnight and conversely you don’t get unfit or unhealthy overnight either. The process is the cumulative effect of lots of small steps and choices that add up to one or other of those options. The best book on the subject is one by Jeff Olson called the Slight Edge. Well worth a read as it will add to your understanding but remember knowledge without action is fruitless.
Point 3 comes from a long held passion of mine – to keep developing. So what new skill have I learnt this week, what new hobby have I taken up, what do I now do better than I did at the beginning of the week. So what new skill or ability am I going to learn this week.
This site is about people, just ordinary ones like you and I, who do extraordinary things. Some start businesses, some start a charity, some just help people but one of the best examples is a lady called Erin Gruwell. Ten years ago (roughly) she was appointed as a new teacher with a class of what appeared to be hopeless write-offs in the Longbeach area of California. Her passion for teaching and getting the best out of this class became a story that has been published in books, made into a film and is now a growing world-wide movement. It is called the Freedom Writers Foundation and is just about the perfect example of someone doing what this site is all about – Start Something Today. She did and many children and youngsters have been the major beneficiaries. I applaud her and support her work – go and take a look too. Buy the film – if you aren’t touched at a very deep level I’d be astonished. If you fancy it you can make a small donation to the Freedom Writers Foundation – it would help many people.
