JKLTip Allow the creative mind to run wild, but take the chaos and build a system of goals, schedules and next steps
We must allow the beautiful mind that we all have to work it’s magic. We must dream big as we think, brainstorm and document. But we must also take the chaos and turn it into an equally controlled system.
It is important to plan, schedule, organize, and review. This is a relative weakness of mine, but something I am improving each day.
I don’t remember what the movie A Beautiful Mind is about. I do remember it was entertaining and thought-provoking. Perhaps that’s my homework this week, to remind myself of the film a beautiful mind. I can’t recall the details of the story
I remember that it had to do with someone who struggled with mental health. The main character demonstrated extremes of what society might consider positive or negative personality traits. Like the mad scientist with so many incredible thoughts, yet such a struggle to function in a way that society would consider normal.
While I don’t remember the movie precisely, the overarching theme reminded me of the combination of chaos and control. It reminded me of working with my students.
I have been working on content creation with youth who battle severe mental health, attachment struggles, and addiction. When we finished working yesterday we had a laugh at the chaos we had created on the table. The best way I can describe it is that it looked as though it was created by a beautiful mind, or two.
This included a whiteboard filled with scribbles, sticky notes, and doodles that one student mentioned looks like hieroglyphic symbols. A few papers of mind maps, scripts and thanks to technology, a digital spreadsheet. We worked for hours thinking, brainstorming, writing and creating to the point where if anyone walked in and looked would think we had gone mad.
That is the chaos part and I’m very good at it.
Where I really need to push myself to improve is in the pragmatic, next steps part. I also need to help the youth that I work with do this. It is ok to have chaos. In fact, it’s amazing and important to have chaos. But, we need to do more to make it a reality.
A life goal should be to allow the beautiful mind that we all possess to run wild. Think, brainstorm, mind map and document. Then we need to take all of that chaotic, beautiful mind stuff and turn it into an equally controlled system. Plan, schedule, organize, and review.
This is the key to taking a dream, or a learning goal and making it a reality. Repeatedly bringing the beautiful mind from chaos to control.
* Let’s work together: 8 Billion People
** Read Why Just Keep Learning: JKL Post