The first time I heard this idea was at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in 2005. I was in the Basic Criminal Investigator Training Program and our initial firearms instructor was teaching us to draw our handguns from a holster and kept insisting that we slow down because “slow is smooth, and smooth is […]
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast Read More »
I’m a fan of Jocko Willink, especially the idea he espouses that “Discipline equals freedom.” In this context I’m not thinking about discipline as a form of punishment, reprisal, or consequence. It is more akin to self-control and personal mastery. It is the use of willpower to exert a sense of order onto the presence
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Let’s stop saying “change is hard.” I think I am at war with quippy platitudes… and “change is hard” is next on my list. The problem with this saying isn’t that it is wrong. Of course change can be hard. The problem is that when we throw around this type of superficial language we might
The Effect of saying “Change is Hard” Read More »
The negative influences of power can be tempered by ethics and a desire for self-control. We all know the platitude that “absolutely power corrupts absolutely” but even a little bit of power can have negative consequences when wielded haphazardly. The Stanford prison experiments showed us that a little bit of position power can result in
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I really like the idea of thinking about our emotions as the fuel that powers our motivation engines. When you look at the fundamental principles for how an engine works it is basically a controlled explosion pushing a piston to generate mechanical force. For this process to work you need three critical components. Start with
Fuel for Motivation Read More »
I’ve been wrestling around with the ideas and concepts presented in Individual Psychology. Specifically with the idea of task separation. Task separation is the recognition that every individual has their own responsibility to manage their emotions, choices, and behaviors while avoiding taking on responsibility for other people’s emotions, choices, and behaviors. Problems begin to arise
What really happens when our emotions get out of control? In the moment we surge into some sort of action to express the intensity of our feelings in hopes of finding some catharsis or relief. Maybe we shout or cry. Maybe we lash out and become nasty and mean. Maybe we retreat and isolate. When
Out of Control Emotions Read More »
Let’s do some thinking about fear this morning. Fear is a core spectrum of emotions that help us respond to our perception of threats. These threats can be either real or imagined. Regardless of the source the physiological response is the same. Hyper focusing of the senses, quickened breathing, tense muscles, and increased blood pressure
Don’t confuse acting under the raw influence of your emotional compulsions with being the same thing as making a wise choice. I think I see this most in people (and in myself) when they start to live their lives like “work-acholoics,” but I’m sure it manifests in other ways as well. The work-aholic is constantly
Raw Impulses vs. Wise Choices Read More »
In my observation, philosophies like Stoicism can fall short because they have been distilled down to quippy platitudes that lack truly actionable methodologies, tools, or skills. For example, the Stoic idea of the dichotomy of control asserts that the only thing within our control is our well reasoned response to the world around us. That
Beyond Philosophies Read More »
