Frontiers Friday #83. Random currents
Frontiers Friday #83. Random Currents
I feel like I've become Peter.
Peter runs a small bookstore/distribution chain in Singapore. Whenever I go to Wellspring, all I do is tell him what I'm interested in reading, and he's got a book for that. In fact, he's has also read it. And he would have 3 other books to recommend related to that topic.
After doing these missives and consultations for some time, I've come to realise that I've become an inadvertent librarian.
And I love being a librarian.
Perhaps my failures in the education system in Singapore has made me over-compensate on curating my own library and learnings. This is why I'm deeply interested in deep learning (yeah, we have a course for that. I hope you'd join us because we don't spend enough time on this high yield topic of becoming a Deep Learner), and helping others take learning into their own hands.
p/s: Jim Carey's response to the Slap at the Oscars. "I was sickened by the standing ovation. I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse. It really felt like: 'Oh, this is really a clear indication that we're not the cool club anymore.'"
✍️ New from My Desk: To Be Altered
This post is about empathy and learning.
Renowned improv teacher, Keith Johnstone says the following:
Instead of telling actors that they must be good listeners (which is confusing), we should say, ‘Be altered by what’s said.’
Good theatre is like tennis in that the spectators look to see how a statement is received, whereas in bad theatre it won’t be received.
✍️ Old from My Desk: No More American Idol
American Idol and the likes of other singing contests have created a false impression that what it takes to be a musical star is to sing really well.
Watch Dave Gohl from Foo Fighters and other musician's take about this.
Side-note on deliberate practice: It's easy to get good at an instrument, but much harder to get good at song-craft.
🎧 Listen: Sister Joan Chittister on What Matters Most
In her 80's, Benedictine nun Sr Joan Chittister has a heart on fire.
"Every impactful person bring to you themselves and not needing to proof how...impactful I am
how smart I am
how needed I am."
📽 Watch: Story of a Generation with Pope Francis
I was tossing between watching a new documentary on Kayne West and this last night. Well-worth it.
The premise of this docu-series: The young should talk to the old.
Highlight Moments:Martin Scorsee interviewed by his daughter
Man in Lampadusa, Italy, estranged from his own kids, but became a father to refugee kids he saved at sea
Pope Francis response to couples in confession: "Do you play with your kids?"
The stories are deeply moving.
Elsewhere, I've talked about a related topic: Older vs. Elder: Who We Can Become
Related: Listen to the Conversation between a young author and a wise figure: Courtney Martin and Parker Palmer⏸ Words Worth Contemplating:
"If you want to love, you cannot be indifferent. You need to look more closely, reaching the limits of human pain." ~ Pope Francis
Reflection: Each day at your clinical practice, you are faced with moments that you can either become numbed to, or to deeply engage with the person in front of you. Sometimes, you'd hear stories that are unimaginable and gut-wrenching. I heard something like the above yesterday. I told this him what I had felt, hearing what he had gone through. There was no other response. If I became "interventive" at that moment, my response would have been cold and technical, even though it might have been appropriate and "evidenced-based." Often, the first port of call is a human response. As you hear other people's stories day in, day out, make room to listen to the stirrings in your own heart so that this can become your instrument of healing. Sometimes, when appropriate, we may be invited to share them, so as to serve the healing process for the client.
3 Updates:
1. Research Paper Submission:
Finally...We've submitted our Difficult Conversations in Therapy (DCT) Deliberate Practice RCT for review and publication. I wanna thank the DCT team for the years of collaboration on this since 2014 (gosh). This includes Sharon Lu, Geoffrey Tan, Tammie Quek, Adam Jones, Scott Miller, and Mark Hubble. I want to particularly thank Sharon for our early days collaboration, as I would have long given up on this project without your enthusiasm and contribution.
Finger's crossed if this gets through the journal we submitted to.
Why did this study take so long to be released? This is the problem with being an independent researcher, meaning, not being affiliated to any educational institution. This means that this isn't my "bread and butter." I've no financial or career incentive to be publishing research. Other competing demands have taken precedence over the past few years. But my colleagues reminds me that this is important to get this out and share it. Thanks to the DCT team for the push.
2. New Aussie Book Coming Out in May 2022
Spearheaded by my down under colleagues, Kaye Frankcomm, Raelyn Wicklein, Nathan Castle, Aaron Frost, we've a new book call Creating Impact coming out around May-Jun this year. It's aimed for private practitioners.
Stay tuned for in the coming months.
3. New Book: The Field Guide to Better Results
Together with Scott and Mark, and our new collaborator from UK, Sam Malins, we've got a new follow-up edited book to Better Results, called The Field Guide to Better Results.
This time, you'd get to hear from other giants in our field like on how to take the ideas we've fleshed out in Better Results, one step further––especially in terms of how to fully utilise the Taxonomy of Deliberate Practice Activities worksheet.
Slated to be released second half of 2022.
Here's a sketchnote that I was mapping out for a chapter in this book:
BIG HUGS TO NEW PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THEIR FRONTIER!
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