Unfolding as we go along – what a great way to describe a PhD experience, and my involvement in the Global Open Graduate Network (GO-GN). I admit to being fascinated by magical, mathematical, moving constructions. I am mesmerized by seemingly … Continue reading →

These days, it seems like everyone’s caught up in endless planning — whether it’s in tech, teaching, or pretty much any other job. We’re all spending so much time strategizing that we barely get around to actually doing stuff.

It’s like we’re all scared to make a move unless we’re 100% sure it’ll work out perfectly.

The other day, I was chatting with a friend who is an entrepreneur. She was laughing about how banks still want these super-detailed business plans before they’ll give you a loan. In reality, hardly any of those carefully laid plans actually pan out the way they’re written. It’s kind of like we’re all playing pretend, holding onto this idea that we can predict the future.

And nowhere is this fear of uncertainty more obvious than in education. We’ve got these 12-year plans for kids that barely change, even though the world around us is moving at lightning speed.

We Built Ourselves into a Corner

So why are we all so freaked out by uncertainty? Sure, humans have always liked their routines — they helped us survive back in the day. But now? We’ve taken it to a whole new level.

We’ve built this bubble around ourselves where everything feels predictable and safe. We’ve simplified everything, trying to make life feel more manageable. Reality on the other hand paints a very different picture.

When it comes to jobs and career, we are trained on a narrow set of skills and expertise to specialize. Our environment pushes us to consider a career in a given field, and many aspire to a single job to carry them through their lives. In reality, many of the jobs we trained for will be obsolete in years, with some even questioning what will happen to the idea of a career.

Our homes yet again reflect this tendency towards absolute control. We’ve designed them to shut out nature completely — same temperature all year round, same lighting, same everything. No surprises allowed! We use considerable energy trying to create this space, without stopping to wonder how generations of the past managed to exist outside of this narrow comfort band.

Don’t even get me started on how we think about money and progress. We’ve convinced ourselves that everything should always go up and to the right. Stocks should always rise, progress should always move forward. Generations have banked on the myth of perpetual growth, and we struggle with imagining anything different. Furthermore, we live in perpetual fear that this notion will come to an end.

What We’re Missing Out On

Certainty comes with sacrifice — in trying to make everything so predictable, we’ve lost something pretty special: our ability to be amazed. You know that feeling you get when you see something so incredible it makes your jaw drop? That thing we call awe. It happens when we bump into something way bigger than ourselves, something that reminds us we’re just a tiny part of this huge, amazing world.

Want to know the easiest way to get that feeling back? Just spend some time outside. Nature’s got a way of showing us that life doesn’t always follow our carefully laid plans — and that’s actually pretty amazing.

From Fixed to Free

How do we get comfortable with not knowing everything, and grow organizations that work well with uncertainty?

For an individual, it’s pretty simple, really — get outside more. When you’re in nature, you can’t control everything. You’ve got to roll with whatever comes your way. And guess what? That’s exactly the kind of skill we need in today’s world.

In the world of education, ideas like Forest Schools are generating heat not in spite of their uncertainty, but because of their ability to embrace the unknown. School does not get cancelled because it rains, rather that is where learning to adapt and be prepared flourish.

While Forest Schools hold inherent qualities that keep them open to opportunities for awe and embracing the unknown, there are other ways as well. Systems that focus on tools like Project Based Learning remain more agile and adaptable than those where content is king. Any movement away from subject centred and grade based learning also can help in this quest.

Some forward-thinking organizations (such as those called Teal Organizations) are catching on to this. Instead of sticking to rigid plans, they’re learning to go with the flow and adapt as things change. It’s like they’re taking a page right out of nature’s playbook.

Maybe it’s time more of our schools and workplaces took such an approach. Instead of trying to force everything to fit some grand plan, we could learn to grow and change along with the world around us. After all, isn’t that what life’s really all about?

AEL will use the proceeds from the sale to turbocharge its investments in the core infrastructure platforms in energy & utility, transport & logistics and other adjacencies in primary industry.

The post Adani Enterprises to exit Adani Wilmar JV; Wilmar International to acquire ~31% held by Adani appeared first on MarcaMoney.

It’s a weird time of year for teachers. Everywhere we are bombarded with “year end” stuff. I got my year review from Spotify, I’m on the last page of my calendar and my journal and in about a week all of the news and entertainment shows will be publishing their “year end reviews”. But for …

Continue reading "Year End?"

Coil has created a Web Monetization WordPress plugin. In this post, I walk you through the steps in setting up the Coil Web Monetization WordPress plugin, including troubleshooting of some common set up issues.

The post Coil Web Monetization Plugin for WordPress – Set Up and Troubleshooting Issues appeared first on Erica Hargreave.

One of the things I love about the eclectic mix of projects that come our way from television series, to apps, to web first stories, to small businesses, to the arts, to educational initiatives, is that we are constantly learning and getting to explore the different worlds that we weave tales and build communities and […]

The post Exploring the North and Polar Bear with Family Fun appeared first on Ahimsa Media.

Want to earn from your digital assets? Not a fan of ads, affiliate marketing, and data mining, or want to ad an additional way of earning from the digital media that you create? Then try experimenting with the Web Monetization Standard, which is relaunching its ecosystem with the Interledger Web Monetization Browser Extension.

The post 2024 Soft Launch of the New Interledger Web Monetization Browser Extension, Relaunching the Web Monetization Standard Ecosystem appeared first on StoryToGo.

Water damage can be a devastating problem for homeowners. Whether it’s a burst pipe, a leaking roof, or a natural disaster, it can cause significant harm to your property. However, the consequences of untreated water damage go beyond structural issues. In this article, we will explore the top 5 health risks and hazards associated with […]

The post Top 5 Health Risks & Hazards of Untreated Water Damage appeared first on Splash Safe In SC.

Tajik Persian: Readings in History, Culture and Society seeks to help students develop reading proficiency in Tajik at advanced level through authentic texts written for native speakers and provides them glimpses into the history, culture and society of Tajikistan without losing its focus on cultural aspects of the country—an aspect that constitutes a core component […]

In the age of information, the internet and digital technology have changed the boundaries of education and finding information online is now easier than ever. The internet is a great tool for student-led learning, but also a dangerous one. Before students can access the power of digital information, they need to understand how it can […]