Willingness and Change
Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 3:35PM My daughter in high school has several friends with strong musical talent. At dinner tonight she said, “You know what I like about musicians? They are committed to something until they 'get it'…that’s why they’re so good”. We then got to talking about dedicated athletes and others who perfect or excel in a skill, trade or interest. There is something about the ongoing practice and dedication necessary to make something difficult look effortless that is exciting, inviting and inspiring.
I told her what I like about those types of people is their willingness to be taught and/or coached. Self-discipline required in order to repetitively learn and embody traits, responses, and habits. The student/learner needs to be open to direction, alternative ideas and feedback in order to alter what is necessary to obtain the results they seek.
Earlier today I was talking to another friend about how our kids (now in teens and twenties) adapt faster than our generation. Ok, he still has “dial-up” at his office (which I didn’t know still existed) so some of us may be dragging a little more than the rest of us. His daughter wanted to teach him to use Skype today – just the thought of moving from dial-up and adding a camera to his computer was a bit over the top for him. I’m holding to the idea that progress is still possible there.
Our topic expanded to how there is a continual shift in upbringing from generation to generation. Like my parents, I went to a small school in a rural area; change in environment was very limited. We always knew who was going to be in our class the next year because there was only one 2nd grade or 5th grade class in my school. It was odd for a new student to join my grade school or high school as most farms and small businesses stayed in the family. In contrast, my children went to school in a large suburban district expecting to have different kids in their classes or on their sports teams each year. It would be unusual to have several of the same kids moving with the same group into the next grade or possibly even the same sports team, from one year to the next. When I consider adding this change in friends and classmates to the ever changing technology, diversity and globalization that Gen X and Gen Y are immersed in, their position becomes almost enviable.
The exposure to learning online, their “expectation” of inevitable change, along with willingness to continually embrace it and adapt quickly, gives younger generations a distinct advantage over my Baby Boomer peers. As a slow adapter and the Queen of Resistance (you haven’t seen that blog post yet), I am at last on board with needing to think more like my kids’ generation, especially now around the social networking arenas.
For example, my son started writing a blog about a week ago. Actually, I find it pretty amusing….see www.givingitstraight.com for a laugh or two and maybe some insight! My point is, he was excited to show me his [amazing] stats tonight on how many hits he was getting from, yes, most states in the U.S. plus some countries in Europe and S. America – all in about a week! I asked him how he did that so quickly. He mentioned he sent out an email to about 60 friends, then said, “Mom, keep in mind I have 637 friends on Facebook.” Of course he does. So do all of his peers - and they use the system.
Like my other kids and their friends, expecting change is a way of life. Access to information and a willingness to adapt to “what is” faster than those stuck in “what we wish it still was” gets them faster, more effective results. What that generation has to say…their individual dedications to be a voice, a dreamer, an athlete, a dancer, a contributor, a musician, an artist, a difference…is truly exciting, inviting, and inspiring.
Plus, they’re having a blast!
Where is your willingness to be committed to something until you "get it"…so you can be "that good"?
Be inspired!
Cindy
Reader Comments (2)
This blog's great!! Thanks :).
Thank you for visiting, Matt! Cindy