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Simplify life, celebrate life
By Janet Wasko Myers, Family and Consumer Sciences
Agent for Ohio State University Extension, Madison County
The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, began like any other
day for most Americans. However, something happened at 8:45 a.m.
that made you stop working, thinking, moving, pushing, and rushing.
The tragic events of that day and the ones to follow made you stop
long enough to appreciate the value and gift of life. You stopped
and realized that life might just be too precious and short for
you to be rushing around like there's no tomorrow.
Henry David Thoreau said, "Our life is frittered away by detail.
Simplify, simplify, simplify." Now is the time to appreciate
what you have and simplify and celebrate life. Karen Levine, author
of Keeping Life Simple, offers seven principles to help make your
life more efficient, downsized and refocused. Think of these principles
as rules, helps, guidelines, or lifelines. As Levine says, "Think
of them however you like…but think of them often!"
Use these guiding principles to help you simplify and celebrate
life:
o Relax your standards. Who are you trying to please? Have you set
unrealistic goals for yourself and are they worth spending the rest
of your life trying to attain and maintain?
o Free yourself of stereotypical roles. Are there certain things
that men and women are supposed to do? Is it OK to be Mr. Laundry
and Mrs. Plumber?
o Take time to figure out what you find most satisfying. Do you
ever ask yourself if you're headed in the right direction? When
you arrive at your life's destination, will you be satisfied and
happy with the journey's end?
o Create time for the things you care about. You make appointments
with the doctor, hair stylist, electrician, and business associates,
but do you ever make an appointment with yourself? Are you scheduling
time to do the things that make life worth living?
o Learn to enjoy what's in front of you. Do you live in the "moment"
or worry about what happened in the past? Do you worry about what
"might" happen in the future? Is your life "half-full"
or "half-empty?"
o Learn to be flexible. Do you do everything in a particular way
because "that's the way it's always been done?" What would
happen to a big, strong oak tree if it didn't bend with the wind?
o Prioritize. What things must be done and is it your responsibility
to do them? Can something be done at a later date and can someone
else do it? What's on your drop list? Are you running your life,
or is life running you?
For more reading, see: Keeping Life Simple - 7 Guiding
Principles, 500 Tips & Ideas by Karen Levine (Pownal, Vermont:
Storey Communications, Inc., 1996).
From the Experts
Building personal strength
A commitment to lifelong learning is one characteristic
of a strong individual. These individuals look for ways to grow
and learn, and take advantage of opportunities that come their way.
They care about their work and enjoy the process of learning.
Other characteristics include trustworthiness, justice, integrity,
and the ability to constructively use time and make decisions. Do
these types of people never make mistakes? Of course they do. But
what makes them strong is the way they handle those mistakes. People
who build these kinds of competencies put their learning into practice
and gain from experiences as they happen.
Source: Personal and Family Strengths, http://ohioline.osu.edu/flm97/fs12.html
Certain traits enhance lifelong learning
By Doris Herringshaw, Family and Consumer Sciences
Agent for Ohio State University Extension in Wood County
Lifelong learning is a habit that people develop over time. We're
not born as lifelong learners yet the mental habits that support
lifelong learning seem relatively easy.
Lifelong learners take risks that others may not take. They keep
experimenting with new ideas, sometimes succeeding other times failing
yet always learning.
A mental habit that supports lifelong learning is careful listening.
Lifelong learners are attentive listeners because they want to learn
and offer honest feedback. An open mind is a must for a good listener.
Lifelong learners admit they don't know it all. They are open to
new ideas and to view life with an open mind. They are always wanting
to learn more about all kinds of topics.
Honest reflection of successes and failures is one habit that can
be painful for individuals, especially in the short term. So there
are some adults who begin the lifelong learning process but abandon
the process before fully involved.
The very best lifelong learners have high standards and have set
goals for themselves. Using the skills of carefully listening, being
open to new ideas and reflection goals can be reached.
How do adults teach lifelong learning to children? Being a role
model for constant learning inquiry, reflection of situations is
the one way. The jobs of the 21st century will require lifelong
learning. There will be constant changes in jobs and much uncertainty.
If children and adults can learn to master life's constant changes,
they will be in a better position to accept those unexpected bumps
in life.
Lifelong learning can help people at all the life stages. For children
and young adults it may be formal education. For middle age and
elderly, it may be informal traveling, classes or non-credit workshops.
The important thing is that it is part of life, families and communities.
For more on this topic, see Leading change by John Kolter, Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1996.
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Develop a partner in lifelong learning
By Jo Jones, Human and Community Resource Development
Specialist for Ohio State University Extension
Many things have resulted from the events of September 11: the
media reports that people are spending more time at home and with
family; they are eating out less; they want to spend their time
on significant activities; people are more in tune to their mortality
and so want to do things that they at one time might have postponed
until later.
So, now seems to be a prime time to consider becoming a "partner
in learning." Steps I would suggest are:
o Explore with your children, other family members, good friends
or coworkers something you have in common that you want to learn
more about.
o Determine what's needed to carry out the project.
o Commit to time for "discovering" information either
alone or together; sharing your discoveries with each other; having
fun experimenting with, practicing, or applying what you have learned;
and determining your next "learning together" adventure.
You have many resources for your learning experiences. The Internet
allows you to obtain information about anything at anytime. Of course
you need to be a wise consumer and consider the quality of your
sources. You can even have a learning partner via the Internet.
Don't let distance keep you from learning with a relative or friend
who is far away. You can share websites, forward interesting discoveries,
brainstorm, share tips, dialogue about implementation successes
and failures, and even send photographs of yourself putting your
learning into practice.
Set a good example for the children in your life by demonstrating
your passion for learning.
Families that learn together, grow together
By Jennifer Erven, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent
for Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County
When we hear the word "learning" we usually associate
it with school. But we are learning all the time, even if we aren't
always aware of it. Learning takes place in almost every environment
- formal (schools, libraries) or non-formal (supermarkets, cafes,
theme parks, or the outdoors).
"Lifelong learning" is a term to define knowledge and
skills that we acquire from infancy through our adult life, that
go beyond traditional education. According to the European Commission,
lifelong learning can be defined as "all purposeful learning
activity, undertaken on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving
knowledge, skills and competence."
Lifelong learning applies not only to individuals, but families
as well. Families are our first and most influential teachers and
have a powerful influence on our learning throughout our lives.
Family learning describes a variety of activities where parents,
children, grandparents, or other relatives or friends take part
in learning activities. These may include anything from storytelling
to visiting new places or learning a new hobby. Some ideas include
learning family first aid, creating a family tree, planning a family
meal using old family recipes, or making a family video.
To ensure success in developing your activity, consider the following:
o Is it fun for all family members?
o Will the whole family be able to learn something?
o Have you consulted with all family members; have you considered
each member's learning style?
o How much will it cost, if anything?
o How long will it last?
When the activity is completed, talk with family members to get
feedback. What did they learn? What ideas do they have for family
learning opportunities in the future? Regardless of the event, keep
in mind that the goal of family learning is to realize how the things
we have fun doing as a family contribute to learning.
For more on this topic, see The Campaign for Learning, The European
Commission (http://www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/).
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