Love the essay--especially the point about the Marines and not looking too far into the future. As an aside, that is something we (Marines) train for. Stay in the moment.
You may want to check the 1968 NASA Longitudinal Study on Creativity by Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman. Also known as the Paper Clip Test. Average adult comes up with 10-15 traditional uses for a paper clip. Divergent thinkers--think kids who don't know better--ask questions like "Can the paper clip be made of foam, or be 20ft tall, or be made of ice?" which opens up thousands of options.
5-year-olds score at the 98% level of creative genius.
A very nice essay,I especially liked the part where you mentioned about your parents contribution, their support in your curricular and extra curricular activities, after reading some of your early essay's as a mother myself, I can say that they have done a splendid job at parenting you, there might be clueless moments but rest assured with your innate goodness you will do much better than your expectations, best wishes 😊👍
Thanks for the kind words, Shilpa! Yes, it’s hard to remember how much our parents sacrifice for us, but I’m definitely really grateful to my parents. I’m glad it resonated with you as a mother!
Everyone 1's is winner was playing in my mind as i was reading this. Such a wonderful read! Before i begin, great respect and regards to your parents. thank you for highlighting their contribution and expressing gratitude. I very much agree to what you said because my trajectory has more or less been the same. The only difference is funnily i thought I had clue about everything like 'Master Shifu' but an indian version :XD Jokes apart, from my opinion rigidity that comes with being an expert is something i don't like personally where at times my idea has been rejected only because it combines for e.g. novel elements of neuro+econ. In the end it's the golden balance or at times intentional imbalance does lead to huge benefits, i can surely vouch for it. Also another point , if i can add. You mentioned about how you were clueless in a sense about the rewards achievements. I think that helps, for e.g. my mom collected and everything or remembered the class rank. It helps the child to explore make mistakes and learn freely while staying grounded. I believe, otherwise there could be chances where one becomes too aware early and start behaving arrogantly.
So glad it resonated with you, Apurva! I definitely am curious about a lot of things, but I still have to fight the urge to try to be an expert in everything.
And yes, I think you’re right that sometimes having an intentional imbalance can lead to huge benefits. The most creative people often have very random, disparate interests.
Sounds like your mom was really good at raising you! It’s tough to do that, because I’m sure the tendency most parents have is to be hard on their kids or maybe praise them too much and get them to focus too much on outcomes.
Love the essay--especially the point about the Marines and not looking too far into the future. As an aside, that is something we (Marines) train for. Stay in the moment.
You may want to check the 1968 NASA Longitudinal Study on Creativity by Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman. Also known as the Paper Clip Test. Average adult comes up with 10-15 traditional uses for a paper clip. Divergent thinkers--think kids who don't know better--ask questions like "Can the paper clip be made of foam, or be 20ft tall, or be made of ice?" which opens up thousands of options.
5-year-olds score at the 98% level of creative genius.
Adults (280,00 in sample) score at 2%
Great essay. I look forward to reading more.
Hi Pete, I’m so glad you liked it! And it’s great to hear from you! It’s been a long time since Servite, but I still look back at that time fondly.
I think I’ve heard of that test, but I haven’t thought about it in a long time. Thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely go look it up!
Also, thanks for subscribing! It really means a lot. If you’re ever free, I’d enjoy doing a call to hear how things are going.
This was one of the most inspirational articles I've read so far in this platform. Well done Colin. :)
Thank you! That’s so encouraging to hear. I really appreciate it. That’s generally my vibe in all my essays, so hopefully you like the rest!
A very nice essay,I especially liked the part where you mentioned about your parents contribution, their support in your curricular and extra curricular activities, after reading some of your early essay's as a mother myself, I can say that they have done a splendid job at parenting you, there might be clueless moments but rest assured with your innate goodness you will do much better than your expectations, best wishes 😊👍
Thanks for the kind words, Shilpa! Yes, it’s hard to remember how much our parents sacrifice for us, but I’m definitely really grateful to my parents. I’m glad it resonated with you as a mother!
Everyone 1's is winner was playing in my mind as i was reading this. Such a wonderful read! Before i begin, great respect and regards to your parents. thank you for highlighting their contribution and expressing gratitude. I very much agree to what you said because my trajectory has more or less been the same. The only difference is funnily i thought I had clue about everything like 'Master Shifu' but an indian version :XD Jokes apart, from my opinion rigidity that comes with being an expert is something i don't like personally where at times my idea has been rejected only because it combines for e.g. novel elements of neuro+econ. In the end it's the golden balance or at times intentional imbalance does lead to huge benefits, i can surely vouch for it. Also another point , if i can add. You mentioned about how you were clueless in a sense about the rewards achievements. I think that helps, for e.g. my mom collected and everything or remembered the class rank. It helps the child to explore make mistakes and learn freely while staying grounded. I believe, otherwise there could be chances where one becomes too aware early and start behaving arrogantly.
So glad it resonated with you, Apurva! I definitely am curious about a lot of things, but I still have to fight the urge to try to be an expert in everything.
And yes, I think you’re right that sometimes having an intentional imbalance can lead to huge benefits. The most creative people often have very random, disparate interests.
Sounds like your mom was really good at raising you! It’s tough to do that, because I’m sure the tendency most parents have is to be hard on their kids or maybe praise them too much and get them to focus too much on outcomes.