in this issue
I'm back from Japan
Japan was great. A month in another world was just
what the doctor ordered. I'm looking forward to my
next trip which will most likely be this coming fall.
There are a few more pictures up on my website
under 'travels.' You may need to clear the cache on
your computer to view recent additions. If you don't
know how to do this, please feel free to drop me a note
and I'll walk you through it.
Find out more....
Quick Links...
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Dear Robert,
Spring is here to stay at last, or so it seems. I'd like to
welcome new subscribers! I appreciate people
spreading the word.
I'll be sending this out by the first of each month from
this point on, so look for the next one on June 1st.
Enjoy!,
Rob
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One of these things is not like the other...
When I was in 3rd. grade, my mother took me to the
optometrist one day. I remember sitting there while he
gave me a bunch of different tests. I loved this. He had
me read letters off a chart on the wall. He also had me
stare at a spot on the wall as he shined a light in my
eye. At one point he had me put on a funny pair of
glasses and look at various shapes in a book. As I was
looking at 4 circles like the ones in the picture above,
he asked me if any of them were different than the
others. I said that one of them was floating. He said
that this was correct. I was thrilled. I had gotten the
right answer, but even more exciting was the fact that
I could see
the difference that was in front of me. It turned out
that the glasses were 3d which created this illusion.
To this day I can remember this picture with the
floating dot. What excites me still is the idea of noticing
difference. This is how humans perceive and learn
things. With two eyes and two ears we are able to
perceive distance. By comparing two objects, we can
begin to discern difference and learn. If you have the
color red in front of you, you can only experience that
by itself.
Once you have another color or another shade of red
next to it, you can begin to make finer distinctions
about its unique qualities.
One of the things that I love about this type of
distinction is that it is something that we can
experience for ourselves as opposed to hearing or
reading about it.
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Playing with difference:
1. Any time you contrast two things, you have an
opportunity to notice differences and similarities. In the
next few weeks, contrast to of your favorite foods.
How are they different? You may also want to contrast
two versions of the same dish.
2. Contrast how you speak to two different people.
What's the same, and what's different? Do you use the
same tone of voice with both? Do you draw from the
same vocabulary? Do you speak more frequently with
one than with the other?
3. Pick two different emotions to contrast. How is your
posture different in one vs. the other? What do you
feel in your body in each emotion and where do you
feel it? Which one is easier for you to access? Which
one is easiest to step out of? What other difference do
you notice between these?
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Modeling, Modeling, Modeling
Last fall I took a 12 day training in modeling. Simply
put, modeling is a form of learning how people do the
things that they do. As my teacher David Gordon puts
it, 'modeling is the process of creating useful "maps"
(descriptions of the structure of experience) of human
abilities.'
Learning how to model, and subsequently learning
about how people do anything from putting on their
shoes to public speaking has been fascinating. Since I
started the class I have been grabbing friends with
unique abilities and discovering the structure of how
they do these things.
More on David Gordon and Modeling »
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Question of the Month
Last month's question was:
What was a time when somebody said something to
you, and the way you thought changed from that point
on?
Mya wrote:
Dear Rob, Thanks for an interesting news letter. The
first experience
that I thought of regarding a life changing comment: I
was at the Glow(seminar)
and someone said something about me making a
drawing of a building
project we were working on. I said that I wouldn't do it
like this other
person. It was pointed out to me that the other
person had gone to
college in engineering and that it was not realistic to
compare my work
to someone professionally trained in it. It really got in.
Later in the
day I was thinking about it and realized that as an only
child, living on
a boat with my parents and few peers, my
achievements had been compared,
at least by me, to my parents. No one told me that at
6 I did not have
to keep up with someone in their 30's. It was as if a
big boulder
rolled off my back at the blame I had been carrying for
myself at my 'not
enoughs'. Thanks for the mental stimulation. I look
forward to reading
about Japan. :) Mya
The question this month is...
If you could model any ability or quality, what would
you choose?
Please send me an email with your answers and let me
know if I can include it in an upcoming newsletter.
Rob@todaycoach.com
That's all for now. Wishing you all a great month!
Rob
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