education: dreams, passion, competence
DESCRIPTION
Our Lady of Mercy School - Rio - 03/Jun/2014TRANSCRIPT
Education
Dreams, Passion, Competence
Eduardo [email protected]
http://liberalspace.net
Our Lady of Mercy SchoolRio de Janeiro, RJ June 3rd, 2014
Sea TurtlesFacts:
They don’t get to know their parents They don’t go to any church They don’t belong to any clubThey don’t attend any schoolThey don’t receive any education
Yet . . .They already know, at birth, how to live their lives on their own – they don’t need any education !
Because . . . They are totally the product of their inherited genes
Can we do anything right after we are
born?
Humans
Except, perhaps . . .
HumansFacts:
We live a loooooooooooong time with our parents We normally go to church - every now & thenWe normally belong to a club (or more than one)We attend several schools for a loooooooog timeWe receive a lot of education – or should . . .
Yet, it so happens that, very often . . .Many of us don’t know what to do with our life Or, worse, in the end, make a mess of it
Why?
HumansOur inherited genes do matter, but they are not all
We are also partially the product of:Our home Our communities (church, clubs, etc.) Our schools Our interactions with our peers Our interactions with our culture
SO the various components of our environment also matter
BUT that is not all either . . . There is still a challenge:
How to transform these
two . . .
intothese RICH two
or . . .
Intothese HOLY
two
DreamsWe, humans are also the product of our dreams !
Dreams are much more than mere wishes
Dreams are wishes for which we are passionate and for the actualization of which we are committed to developing the necessary competencies
Dreams materialize in the choices we make . . .
To become true, dreams must be transformed into life projects
People in business call dreams “vision” and a life project “mission”
A Life ProjectPersonal component
Who we want to be as persons, as human beingsWho we want to share our life withWhat friends we want to cultivate
Professional ComponentWhat career(s) we choose to embraceWho we want to associate or partner with
Social Component What contribution we expect to makeWhat legacy we hope to leave
Execution
Dreams and life project, vision and mission, will remain in our mind, or on paper, unless and until they are executed, transformed into reality
To bring them into reality two more things are needed
Passion, passionate commitment, motivation Competence, the ability to act competently
Passionate Commitment
The mind is a wonderful thing: intelligence, high iQ, reasoning, ratiocination, argument, problem solving, these are all fantastic things to haveBut we can have a brilliant mind and be a failure The mind, by itself, is unable to motivate and move us, to keep us going in the face of obstacles and difficulties – especially in the face of failure We don’t need an emotional intelligence: we need intelligent emotions: respect for others, cooperation, solidarity, resilience, patience, persistence, courageWithout them we will not get very far
Competent Action These are perhaps the components most valued by the 21st century: skills and competencies
Dreams, vision, life project, intelligent emotions, etc. are necessary, but not sufficient: they are not adequate substitutes for competent action
Discover as quickly as you can what sorts of skills and competencies are required to transform your dreams into reality, and then go and develop them as well you possibly can
Final Counsel Tomorrow, give yourselves two presents:
Get a copy of the movie October Sky, and watch it !Buy a copy of Steven Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, read it, and keep it as reference !
And pray daily, following Reinhold Niebuhr’s (and Ayn Rand’s) suggestion, for these three things:
Courage to do what needs to be doneResignation to accept what cannot be doneWisdom to distinguish one from the other
Eduardo [email protected] http://liberalspace.net
Slides:http://www.slideshare.net/edwardkeys/our-lady-of-mercy-20140603-english-theme-
35274757
Thank You!