How do you CHALLENGE yourself? Self-Improvement topic

by Terry 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Terry
    Terry

    This is an important topic for me.

    Ever since I was a kid I was interested in Self-Improvement.

    It was the result of my Grandfather, surely.

    Here is what my Grandad (I called him, Paw Paw) would do to challenge me.

    He knew kids always need money to buy "stuff" and go places and do things. So, Paw Paw would say, "Terry, here is list of some strange words.

    IF you learn how to spell then and can tell me what they mean, I'll pay you a DOLLAR!"

    I don't know what other kids might do, but, I learned that list pretty darned fast

    Next, he'd give me a chart. It would have all these crazy symbols illustrated on it. What were they? They were BRANDS from ranches go way back in Texas history. Crazy things like :

    Crazy, huh?

    Well, I learned them! I collected my money.

    Then, he gave me a book of KNOTS. If I learned how to tie them I'd get a half dollar for each knot!

    That was $20 worth of learning!

    I got poems and famous sayings and anything he could come up with.

    Guess what?

    Most of this might sound worthless or just silly. But--it encouraged my curiousity, my skill levels and I gained some interesting insights.

    I LEARNED Self-Improvement because of Paw-Paw's encouragement (and a hankering for $$$$)

    When I turned teenager I started learning 16 new Vocabulary words every day.

    I was the one who paid the money now! I paid my friends a quarter for every vocabulary word they could bring me that I didn't already know!

    What is my point?

    WHAT can each of you do---what do YOU do to challenge yourself to learn and improve?

  • Bangalore
    Bangalore

    Great points. Agreed.

    Bangalore

  • Terry
    Terry

    Those points were SOOOOO great tha you are the ONLY responder 9 days after the initial posting of it!

  • Bangalore
    Bangalore

    Hope more will respond now. This is a great topic for discussion.

    Bangalore

  • oompa
    oompa

    i try to tie my shoes using only one hand..........oompa

  • Quentin
    Quentin

    Read....I read everything I can get my hands on...ficton, non-fiction, doesn't matter. I like to be challenged by other's. When in college the biology instructor gave an assignment for extra credit. He wanted a five to six page paper written about the "Jukes and the Kallichaks". That's all the information he gave; "Write a paper on the Jukes and the Kallichaks" No Internet, all leg work at the college library, and public library.

    Read....belive me that can be tough, some things are hard to read, especially if you don't like the subject, or author. Research, dig into things. Both sides of an issue. It's the only way to be well rounded. Be open to ideas, understand an others POV.

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    Hi Terry & Quentin! Very interesting topic, Terry.

    Hope both you guys can make over to my place to get together at noon tomorrow.

    Quentin, I sent you a PM and an email -

    James

  • Terry
    Terry

    i try to tie my shoes using only one hand.

    Oompa, what exactly is it that you are doing with that other hand??

  • Terry
    Terry

    i Terry & Quentin! Very interesting topic, Terry.

    Hope both you guys can make over to my place to get together at noon tomorrow.

    Quentin, I sent you a PM and an email -


    James

    I'm trying to get a front-end alignment (on my car, not me personally) to make the trip safely!

  • james_woods
    james_woods
    I'm trying to get a front-end alignment (on my car, not me personally) to make the trip safely!

    Great! - I guess you are going to bring Quentin with you, then?

    Looking forward to meeting you in person.

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