You and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Today's post is a look at author Dan Millman's book, The Way of the Peaceful Warrior and the 2006 movie 'Peaceful Warrior', starring Nick Nolte, Scott Mechlowicz and Amy Smart, and is a powerful drama of self-reflection leading to a life transforming break through for this struggling college student.

Dan, our hero, is successful at college; on many levels. He is socially adept, he is a good athlete (Gymnastics) and yet her has personal frustrations that maintain, for him, a level of dissatisfaction.

One day, while riding his motorcycle, he is involved in a serious accident.  The resulting injuries, he sustained, threaten to ruin his most cherished goal; an NCAA championship in Gymnastics.

During his struggle to heal, from his injuries, he meets the mysterious man who will eventually become his mentor, Socrates; played by Nick Nolte.

This leads them through a tumultuous relationship which lead Dan to learning the essence of what it takes to be truly aware and engaged with life.
 
 Through his dialog s with Socrates, Dan soon discovers...

 Now check out this vital scene from the movie; and this monologue by Socrates that speaks to the power of the present moment.

Each and every moment is a sacred opportunity for your awareness to provide you with insights that may lead to enhanced self-discovery and growth.

As a student, it's important to maximize the value of each moment. When your are consciously present, in each moment, you are able to gain the best return on your investment that is possible.

Let's say you are paying $30,000 per year for your college expenses; every time you miss a class session you have just tossed away $937.00 (based upon 2 16 week  semesters per academic year) Does that make good financial sense to you?

When you are in a lecture and your mind is somewhere else, it's still the same amount you just wasted.

This is just one of the reasons why being present in each moment is so valuable.

 
We live in a culture that values conformity and throughout your life you have received copious social conditioning efforts aimed at encouraging you to be just like everyone else; to fit in.

To thrive in life you need to captain your own ship and trust your inner guidance system to lead you through the troubled waters that are your life experiences. Being aware and present in each moment is the beginning point for authentic learning

Another lesson found in The Peaceful Warrior is the the idea; beautifully expressed in the following quote~in~image...

Dan goes to the heart of the matter by combining present moment awareness with a passion to follow the energy of love.  One of the balancing acts authentic learners need to embrace is this notion of following your passion coupled with being present in each moment of your life.

When you are present in each moment and follow your intuition you will be lead to discovery of value within each of your live experiences. 

For you, as an authentic learner, embracing an enhanced relationship with yourself will provide you the opportunity for greater trust, in your intuition, and enhanced awareness and joy in each moment!

When you believe in yourself and embrace each moment; good things will follow.  Where there is focused awareness coupled with joy; authentic learning is a natural consequence.

Dan also discovers that change in how you perceive your world lies at the heart of your happiness and peace.

As you view this video of some of the powerful dialog between Dan and Socrates; you see that shaking up your mindset frees you to become the authentic person you are meant to be.



Within the paradox of our age, as elaborated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, you will discover the seeds of change that will fuel your transformation as an authentic person and learner.

 

 

I hope you realize the power of The Peaceful Warrior in providing  you with insights into the nature of what it means to be an authentic learner.

You have within you all it takes!

 

Is the way of the Peaceful Warrior for you?

Your First Year Experience ~Excelling at Maze Runner Level

 

 





If you've not already had a semester in college you are most likely filled with many expectations and concerns:

• Will I fit in socially?
• Will I be able to handle the academic experience of college?
• Will I be able to manage my time effectively?
• Will I be able to have a positive relationship with my instructors?
• Will I have time to engage in extracurricular activities I enjoy?
• Will I be able to continue with the volunteer experiences I currently engage with?
•  Will I have the supports I need to succeed?
• Will I be able to afford the college experience I dream about?

Now that I am about to enter college; what have I gotten myself into?

Let's take a look at what differences exist between High School and College:

• Who is in charge? Quite honestly, during grades K-12 others have the say and when you enter college, you are expected to be in charge of your academic choices and success.
• Organizing for success. In High School your teachers and counselors do loads of the planning for you.  In college the responsibility is yours.
• Planning for use of your time.  In High School you spend 6 hours per day where the planning is done by school administrators, teachers and counselors. In college you are expected to plan for yourself with input from academic advisers and others.
• Teachers vs. Instructors. In grades K-12, your teachers studied how children learn. In college your instructors are considered experts in their individual fields of research and it is unlikely that they have ever studied how adults learn.
• Meeting with your teachers vs instructors. In High School your teachers often initiate your meetings and in college you are in charge of making those meetings happen; either through attending office hours or by appointment with your instructor.
• Reminders of assignments, exams/quizzes, or projects are frequently offered by your teachers with reinforcement by your parents.  In college, you receive a syllabus for each course, on the first day of class; that is your only reminder.
• So many more that you will soon discover.

 Phase One:

 

Lets take a look at who is in charge of making your education/learning decisions.

In other words, who is driving your learning bus?




 

In your formal learning experience, K-12, it was mostly parents, teachers and school administrators who made your education/learning choices; in college, you have the wheel.

 

Physically, you have been an adult for quite some time. Our current social model is to treat young adults as children and often leaves you out of many decisions that effect you.

 

Our culture, then expects you to morph, over one summer, into a fully in change adult.

That works for no one! The truth is that when most students enter college, for the first time; what each lacks most is experience in the adult mental model. You have the mental abilities and aptitudes to make you successful; once you have enough experience, to make it so!

Yes, once you enter college, your task is to discover how the adult you needs to navigate this new maze called college.

To successfully travel through this maze to come out the other side; you will have many opportunities to practice, using this new mental model' coupled with your skills as...

In the movie, The Maze Runner , 

Based upon the novel “The Scorch Trials” by

James Dashner;

the underlying theme is about the importance of discovering your life's purpose.


Please consider these thoughts on life purpose:

Maze Runners intuitively recognize where purpose and opportunity align.

 

then 

...for your heart provides the passion to make your life's purpose realize!

Like the...

discover your own way through!

Stay connect for my next blog post; a continuing look at your first year experience.

Please feel free to share this blog with your other college friends.

Thank you,

 

Rediscover Authentic you

I believe it's important that I provide you with some thoughts on what it means to be an authentic person.

Briefly, being the authentic you means that your thoughts, feelings and actions are in alignment with the natural you; the person you were born to be.

You were born as a unique and dynamic individual who is eager and ready to make your special place in this world; employing your talents, abilities and insights to make the difference that only you can make.

From birth on you have been conditioned with fear~based beliefs that drive you to look outside yourself for answers and yet; all of you most sought-after answers will end up coming from your inner~guidance system; your gut feelings. 

Now is your time to return to your authentic heritage; leaving behind the social conditioning that pushes you away from being in touch with your authentic self.

Please check out the video below that focuses on returning to your authentic self.

Be true to authentic you and live the life you were created to. 

Welcome to Authentic Learning Works

The purpose for my blog is to provide awareness of and support for the pre~college and college student~learner's experience of the notion of becoming an authentic~learner.

Have you heard about Authentic Learning?

Typically when you read about 'authentic learning' the focus of the article or book is on how to establish authentic learning classroom design and implementation of the learning model by the course instructor.  However, the current reality on many college campuses is primarily the same as that which your parents experienced with greater access to technology.

Typically many college instructors lecture with PowerPoint presentations as back up support. Out of class assignments are typically papers and in some cases projects, which may provide students with an activity dealing with dealing with real-world problems. If so, they do include one aspect of authentic learning.  In this statement, I am not criticizing those instructors; they are a reflection of the models of their colleges and universities. A basic model for learning that has little significant change in 100's of years.

"The four themes supporting authentic learning are:

1. An ACTIVITY that involves real-world problems and that mimics the work of professionals; the activity involves presentation of findings to audiences beyond the classroom.

2. Use of open-ended inquiry, thinking skills and metacognition.

3. Students engage in discourse and social learning in a community of learners.

4. Students direct their own learning in project work."

~Excerpt from an article in the Journal of Authentic Learning, Audrey Rule of the State UNIVERSITY of New York (SUNY) at Oswego.

To develop yourself into an authentic learner involves embracing your relationship with yourself and with what you are focused upon learning and experiencing, in college.

For it is through thoroughly developing these primary relationships that we truly grow in harmony with our own nature. 

Yes life often beats us up, however 

Actually, it's the only thing that works!

Yes Change is Coming

You've no doubt heard that College is different from High School.

What skills and abilities are college students expected to have or develop in order to succeed in college?

College students are expected to demonstrate the following skills~sets:

• Critical thinking and assessment skills.
• Communication skills; both verbally and in written format Typically knowledge and proficiency in APA and MLA formatting styles is important.
• The ability to organize and manage your time to effectively handle your academic, social, spiritual and physical demands. 
• Understanding and applying your natural learning-style to your learning activities.
• Appropriate use and management of learning~support tools 
• Identification and collaboration with your 'learning allies'
• The ability to plan, organize and report research~based learning; as both papers and projects.
• Accept personal responsibility for one's life~activities in planning, implementation and evaluation.
• The ability to use technological supports available through computer, smart~phone and internet applications.  

Whats in this for me; you might ask?

Let's look at the benefits of becoming an authentic learner:

• Enhanced ability to manage your academic challenges.
• Inner~directed learning empowers you to expanded ability to truly learn in diverse classroom settings.
• Reduction of anxiety and stressful episodes.
• Experiencing enhanced respect from your instructors through the process of self~directed learning.
• Enjoy mutual~benefit relationships.
• Experience more happiness, in all areas of your life.
• Experience greater comfort in your new role as an adult learner.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

~John Lennon

for viewing my first post on Authentic Learning Works!

My next few posts will feature, your First Year Experience in college.

Please sign up, on this site,  to follow this blog so you don't miss out on a single valuable post.

Dave Kenyon