Learning Can Be Fun

Having fun is the best way to learn :)

Did a couple of coaching sessions over the past weeks, and a common feedback given is that they never expected the sessions to be this fun!

I started training, teaching and mentoring since I was 18 years old. And right from my very first session, I strove to make it enjoyable regardless of how 'dry' the topic might be or who the audience might be. Students, educators, parents, professionals, bankers, home makers... it does not make a difference.

This probably stem from the fact that as a student, I often fell asleep during lessons. Auditory learning is my least preferred choice and coupled with the hot stuffy classroom (we did not have air conditioned rooms back then) plus non interactive mode of teaching, falling asleep was the most natural result. And what naturally transpired next is a chalk smacking into my face. Yup, the age of non whyteboards. 

So when I became a 'teacher'/ trainer, I decided that I will: 

• make my sessions enjoyable and relevant for the participants
• incorporate useful learnings and activities; no silly exercises or activities
• respect the participants' time so no fillers activities just to waste time
• use a blend of methods so that all learning preferences is included

One of the great things about starting my own practice is that I can decide the direction of Dream Catalyst and the projects that I am involved with. So I can be choosy about who I work with. As such, it gives me immense delight to work with organisations both non profit and businesses that serve to make a difference in the lives of others. These organisations genuinely incorporate training programme as part of it's mission to better the lives of their members or employees. Increased productivity and efficiency is the bonus of happy team members. 

Yup, learning can be fun! Why not? :)

Be Choosy about Labels

Discard non useful labels, choose positive ones!

Recently, a client brought her 9 year old daughter who has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). 

During the session with this beautiful girl, we had an engaging chat about her hobbies, interests and her thoughts. 

And after the session, it was clear that this highly intelligent girl has been labelled wrongly! 

In another case, a young man came to see me for a session. One of the issues that he faced is that of procrastination which he says he had since his teenage years. Yet in our chat, we discovered that he is certainly not a procrastinator. Rather, he tend to push himself too hard to complete tasks over a period of time. After that, he finds himself not wanting to do anything and thus procrastinate. I shared with him that he is probably having a mild burnt-out from the 'overworking' thus the reluctance to do anything. You could literally see his eyes lit up with "Aha!" and everything just made sense. It was a label that his parents had given him in his teenage years and which he had accepted. He discarded that label and instead, adopted the strategies that I proposed to him so that he can have a school-life balance. It is important for him to discover this because he will be going into a highly stressful industry upon graduation. And if he is not able to maintain his well-being, it is highly likely that he will suffer burnt out. 

In our life, society, family, friends, strangers and even we ourselves often put a label on who we are. "I am a success, I am popular, I can never succeed, I am a failure, I am a depressive, I am ugly, I am clever, I can write well, I..." 

It is important for us to be truly aware of these labels and question them instead of accepting them blindly. If they are not useful ones, discard them. Keep those that are positive and life-giving to you. 

As therapists, it is also important for us to be able to look beyond the labels "he/she suffers from a terminal illness, he is beyond hope, she is a difficult client..." The label may just present us with a first layer of awareness but it is certainly, not the full story. When we are able to keep an open mind and attitude, that is when we are truly able to uncover and discover more so that we can be catalysts of transformation to our clients.