We’ve all had those days. Usually in November. You’re walking through town, collar up against the wind and drizzle. You’re in early Christmas shopping ‘browse mode’. It’s only 3.30 but it’s nearly dark. The traffic is stop start. Starbucks is empty – nobody drinks coffee in the afternoon. The pound shop seems busy. You consider nipping into M&S for a browse but decide against it. Argos looms and you hurry by. You recall your previous visit...never again! As the November sky grows dark a terrible truth becomes clear. Here, nothing is happening or going to happen. Life, in its radiance and glory, is off somewhere else...
Andy's Blog
Welcome to Andy’s musings. If Carlsberg could write blogs...
Viewing entries tagged positive psychology
Early thinkers expressed the need for striving. There is a rich and unbroken tradition of quest literature running from The Epic of Gilgamesh in 1000 BC to The Wizard of Oz in 1939. More latterly, Lord of the Rings was a pretty epic quest too (9 hours of it if I recall?). And Avatar? Was that a quest? Or just blue people living under a big tree?
It’s hard to write something about the current UK riots that hasn’t already been written. And I’m sure ‘highlights’ is the wrong word, but here goes (all true)...
I’ve just finished writing ‘The Art of Being a Brilliant Teacher’ with Chris Henley and Gary Toward (if you attended the last 2%ers you will know them and their fab school). Fingers crossed that it’s a half decent book that connects with its intended audience. But one thing it has forced me to do is think about the issues faced by educators.
As always, I ask for your patience while I make my point. Please hang in there. This could be the most awesome 5 minutes of your day!
There’s a little known phenomenon called ‘Campbell's Law’. It states that if everyone knows what is being used to measure progress, you can expect corruption...
(I received this today, an irreverent view from Joey, aged 14)
God created the world. Crikey! He’s achieved some good stuff. And we look up to him (in all senses of the phrase, the great dude that he is, sitting loftily in the clouds). He seems to be a decent role model what with all those commandments and stuff. I mean, ‘thou shall not steal’, etc all makes good community sense...
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If you’ve seen ‘Monsters Inc.’ you’ll know it’s a cool movie. If you haven’t seen it...what are you waiting for? Sully is a blue, hairy, hulk of a monster. His buddy, Mike, is well...an eye. On legs. And they are a team. They work for ‘Monsters Incorporated’, a huge organisation that employs monsters to scare children into screaming... |
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I recently visited some dear and close relatives – for a whole day! She’s not been well. So I thought a bit of cheering up might be good for her (and for her long suffering hubby who’s been waiting on her hand and foot since the new hip went in). Plus it’s a chance for us to play our new 2%ers game...
Sometimes opportunities arise that are just too fab to miss. For me, a trip to India is exactly that. I’ve been so excited about taking ‘The Art of Being Brilliant’ to the subcontinent. But my excitement was tinged with apprehension. The workshop contains some humour. My humour! Which sometimes doesn’t even translate to British audiences! And some of the phraseology about ‘mood hoovers’ and ‘2%ers’ and especially ‘limbic locking’. And what if the cultural differences mean that audiences just sit there passively? Yikes! My workshops rely on interaction and banter and off-the-cuffness. You see, some of my language doesn’t even makes sense in English!
Now I’m here, ensconced in the middle of Delhi. I’ve delivered 3 days of ‘The Art of Being Brilliant’ to various audiences from teens upwards. Sweltering temperatures and huge crowds. Lessons learned...If you’ve ever come on an ‘Art of Being Brilliant’ workshop (or read our fantastic book of the same name) you’ll be familiar with the term ‘mood hoovers’. A mood hoover is someone who’s stuck in a typically British doom and gloom mentality. The news is always bad, the weather’s always grim, all teenagers are hoodies, work’s rubbish...you get my drift! They’re stuck in moan mode. And we call them mood hoovers because they’re expert at sucking all the positivity and joy out of the people around them. It only takes 30 seconds...and they’ve made us feel as depressed as they are!
Let me introduce you to a guy who’s the opposite of a mood hoover. We call them, 2%ers...
