Hi there

This month I want to talk about self-developing along with others and using expert knowledge to shorten the learning curve. But first I want to mention balance.

I’ve talked a lot about balance and, because I recently discovered that at age 59, and compared to my prime, I am woefully unfit and weak.

I am out of mind-body balance.

For me, this shows just how easy it is to lose sight of important things whilst chasing other important things. I have been focusing too much on my knowledge and cognitive skills and dropping the ball on the physical elements of my life.

I decided to make changes and joined a gym. Don’t worry this won’t become a fitness blog – this is all on me and only used here as an example.

I'm a psychological introvert, so my normal approach is to buy a book or look on YouTube or whatever for some starter plans or tips then work away at things on my own. This works fine for most activities, but I’ve had mixed results in the past with exercising and maintaining motivation.

Time for an experiment.

Here are the experimental results so far:

• I signed up to some early morning classes (included in membership anyway) and gave it a go.
• The obvious (and unsurprising) results are that I am knackered, stiff and aching every day but making some solid progress.
• The less obvious (but revelatory) results are the fact that I love working in a small group (6 or 7) with an expert instructor who gives immediate feedback and lots of alternative approaches when I’m struggling (which is often right now).
• The group members are super-supportive, and I want to improve as a simple response to being in the group. They are motivating me.

So, this month’s tip, if you can call it that, is to carry on following your own self-development and self-learning route (you are an autodidact after all) but, whatever you are developing, consider adding in some collaborative and group-based elements along with expert assistance (providing the all-important immediate feedback loop).

Hopefully that's offered you some food for thought.

Have a good one and I'll see you next month.

All the very best to you and yours

Andrew D Pope.