"How do people learn to make plans of their own if they
are never encouraged to plan something? How do they ever learn to confront
flaws in their plans if they are never allowed to implement a plan with
a flaw in it, or if they are made to feel so inadequate because of the
flaw that they become fearful of trying again?"
"IF WE THINK WE CAN, we will. If we think we can’t, we
won’t. All that stands between ourselves and our capabilities are our perceptions
of who we are and what we can do."
"After all, our greatest successes in life frequently
result from apparent failures that we embrace as learning experiences rather
than taking them so seriously that we were afraid to try again. All this
would suggest that directing should be our least desirable response to
getting others to do things, chosen after careful consideration, not our
first, knee-jerk reaction."
"We sometimes believe that what we see determines what
we think, but the opposite is true. What we think determines what we see."
"We tend to grow, as the Bible says, line upon line, and
precept upon precept. People who feel threatened in a learning environment
tend to remain stuck if not given room to grow in small, cumulative steps."
"When we act on limiting assumptions, we ignore the most
beautiful characteristic of human beings, which is the ability to learn
and change from day to day. By assuming, we say, “What you were yesterday
is all I will allow you to be today.”"
"After all, our greatest successes in life frequently
result from apparent failures that we embrace as learning experiences rather
than taking them so seriously that we were afraid to try again."
"Studies of successful, healthy people show that they
are consistently good finders who see lemonade in lemons and glasses that
are half full rather than half empty."
"Chimpanzees and gorillas copy each other automatically,
but human beings, if encouraged to do so, can look at people they encounter
and thoughtfully decide whether they want to copy them."
"The Japanese endlessly study the lives of successful
people, not to copy them but to learn the principles that made them successful
so they can fit these principles into their own lives."
"THE NEED TO BE NEEDED is often more powerful than the
need to survive. Human beings are the only species that can be motivated
to commit suicide by a perception that their life has no meaning, purpose,
or significance."
"Flexibility is the ability to bend when we find ourselves
in unworkable positions. A universal characteristic of insanity is inflexibly,
doing the same thing over and over while hoping for different results."
"“Good grief! I’ve already made so many mistakes. Is it
too late?” It is never too late."
"It’s easy to say that mistakes are opportunities for
learning, but its sometimes difficult to believe this when we are experiencing
the consequences. It takes true understanding and insight to focus on solutions
rather than on blame."
"Our motivation
depends on our overall perceptions of ourselvesand our capabilities, and
these are reflected in those ideas that dominate our thinking."
"When we want to move across a new frontier, we must imagine
ourselves as we wish to be and focus on the specific changes we need to
make."
"We grow and change much faster when we shed discouraging thoughts about what we have failed to accomplish."
Written by H. Stephen Glenn & Jane Nelsen Ed.D.
Seven
Building Blocks for Developing Capable Young People
