“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.” — A. Einstein
This quote has left me in an incredible state of questioning what I do and do not understand. I do not use this to question everything; but, I do use it to know whether or not I am going to claim to understand something.
What do you understand? Can you explain it? Can you defend it? Can you question it? Can you argue for it? Can you argue against it? What do you understand?
Explaining,
–JT
I have been recently struck by the need for a common language and the power it gives a group of people. They have common tools to use. Similar to a staff team going through a personality profile, a group of friends going to a marriage seminar, or a group of soldiers in basic training leave basic training with a common language they speak built on their experiences and the leaders/teachers who gave them all the same definition of the same words.
These people now work together more efficiently and more effectively because they all say the same thing and mean the same thing. They have the same definition for a word, phrase, or acronym. Much like if I say 9/11, you have a definition and a picture in your mind, much like I do.
We as mature American adults can identify with a common imagery given to us by an outside source. You and I can identify with each other based on this common language.
Common language gives us reason to classify each other and create classification systems for people. Not tiered in order to qualify value, instead they are systems to understand qualities and characteristics.
When you give a group of people who respect each other and work well together a common language and common definitions to understand each other. They suddenly become more connected. They see value in one another and they have a common verbiage to use to attribute value to one another.
We as a team have been able to understand the value of one another because of the common language we have.
I can understand the people around me better because we have a common language given to us by the Pathfinder process we went through last December. Now we continue to grow together and understand each other because we have this common language.
How well do you understand the people around you? How can you spend some time developing a common language with your team?
Defined,
–JT
I find it funny when things are going well how hard it become to continue to work hard. When I’m on the bottom or behind, I have to work harder, it is when things are going well I find myself starting to become complacent, relaxed, and I start to slack. For maybe the first time in my life, I’m doing well and I’m seeing how much work I have ahead of me (this is not to say I have never been doing well before, simply I have never had this realization in tandem with doing well.) I am seeing the triggers where I might normally become complacent and I am not going to give in to them. I am also seeing the triggers where I might over extend and take on too much because I am doing well and I am healthy, I am not going to give in to those triggers either. I am going to stand in the tension, allow myself to be pulled and try to always be aware of where I am in the tension.
This is going to be interesting. Fun. Maybe even exciting at times. I look forward to where things will be going as I feel like I’m almost on top of the world with how well my life is going. My life is not this good because of me, my life is this good because of my community and the team I get to be a part of. I have been blessed with amazing opportunities and responsibilities. Now I am allowed to rise to the occasion and show the true measure of my character in successes and failures.
I look forward to both.
Where are you at in the tension of work and rest or complacency and success?
Battling on,
–JT