Parenting

Social Media and Reality

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

This blog is about Social Media. But, before I delve into that topic I’d like to start by talking about something else — PERCEPTION and it’s incredible importance in our daily lives and our reality.

Perception overrules Facts every time. Facts represent the truth, but perception represents our actual reality. We remember facts because we process them through our senses (touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing). We filter them through these senses and, by doing so, actually interpret them from our past experiences — every time. And while we may want to believe that we are not being judgmental — that we are always being objective in our thinking and conversation — we are not. Our ‘objectivity’ is actually subjective in nature because we have created meaning out of what we have observed. This meaning is created when we link our present experiences to the previous — our past understandings, emotions and feelings.

Personal lens: The filter that we all use that interprets our environment. It shapes our perception of events through our own experiences, emotions and beliefs.

It is our personal lens that creates our unique reality — our perception of the world around us. It is why two people can ‘see’ the same thing yet come away with two completely different understandings of what they ‘saw’. For example, courts rely less on eye witnesses than they do on things like DNA evidence, because DNA doesn’t require a filter to exist.

People are shaped by their perceptions and are frankly not that reliable in their objectivity.

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Our Personal Super Power

/ Dave Eberwein / Leave a comment

I have three questions to start today’s post:

  1. Is there a set of ‘Super Skills’ that could propel us towards personal success?
  2. Are they something that all of us use?
  3. Can these skills be taught?

I’ve got great news. There IS something like that. And our understanding of it has existed for quite awhile. But, we need to be spending more time building awareness about it.

It’s called EXECUTIVE FUNCTION … and it’s absolutely critical to our personal success. In BC, we’ve been spending a lot of really good time talking about a number of personal competencies like: Communication, Thinking, and Personal/Social/Emotional Development. These are all really important.

It’s time we build a more universal understanding about Executive Function. This post is my way of starting that conversation.

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The Necessity of Courage

/ Dave Eberwein / 4 Comments

It’s an interesting thing — courage. Some of us seem to have lots of it, and others not so much. Why is that? Why do some people seem to head off into the unknown more easily than others?

Here are 3 facts about courage that might shed some light on the issue:

  • You DON’T HAVE COURAGE when you’re born;
  • You OBTAIN COURAGE by doing uncomfortable stuff; and
  • You INCREASE YOUR AMOUNT OF COURAGE by using it.

And, most importantly you NEED LOTS OF IT if you want to effect change.(SIDE NOTE: If you’re seeking to effect change, make sure the change you seek is sound, logical and needed. Change for the sake of change is just a waste of time)

The Cowardly Lion

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

It goes almost without saying that it takes a significant amount of courage to change the status quo — especially something that is cherished or longstanding. It’s not uncommon to be confronted with a pretty strong emotional response from some when you suggest a change. It takes courage to withstand it’s onslaught.

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