When Facing a Brick Wall, Try Going Around

There is so much I am learning from running about learning in general.

Being outside and finding clarity makes me feel like running is a form of moving meditation. As someone who has issues sitting still, moving meditation is definitely my jam.

I am also learning about myself and how I deal with challenges. Through the past year or so, I have been trying to improve my times at the 10km and half marathon distance, but always seem to get to a certain point and get injured. I start over from scratch, get to a similar point, and then get hurt.

Often, when we hit a brick wall, we back up and try to go again. Unfortunately, the wall is still made out of brick, and in the fight between brick and human, I am likely going to take the brick.

So, when you keep hitting a brick wall, instead of trying to go through it again and again, maybe try going around.

In pursuit of a goal, working harder at the same thing that hasn’t brought success is not a good strategy. 

Instead of changing the goal, try changing the strategy.

This applies to our work in education as well.

If administrators are frustrated with staff’s lack of movement, they sometimes say and do the same thing, only louder.

#BrickWall

Change the strategy.

I have done the same as a teacher.

If a student doesn’t grasp a concept or idea, I just try it again and again.

I remember reading something along the lines of, “If you are frustrated with lack of student growth, and you try the same strategy 100 times, it is not the student that is the slow learner.”

#BrickWall

You don’t have to always change the goal, but often, you need to change the strategy.

When we do that, we are not giving up but finding a better way. That is what resiliency is about.

 

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A post shared by George Couros (@gcouros)