Education

Dreams, Passion, Competence

Eduardo Chaveschaves@liberal.academy

http://liberalspace.net

Our Lady of Mercy SchoolRio de Janeiro, RJ June 3rd, 2014

Sea TurtlesFacts:

They don’t get to know their parents They don’t go to any church They don’t belong to any clubThey don’t attend any schoolThey don’t receive any education

Yet . . .They already know, at birth, how to live their lives on their own – they don’t need any education !

Because . . . They are totally the product of their inherited genes

Can we do anything right after we are

born?

Humans

Except, perhaps . . .

HumansFacts:

We live a loooooooooooong time with our parents We normally go to church - every now & thenWe normally belong to a club (or more than one)We attend several schools for a loooooooog timeWe receive a lot of education – or should . . .

Yet, it so happens that, very often . . .Many of us don’t know what to do with our life Or, worse, in the end, make a mess of it

Why?

HumansOur inherited genes do matter, but they are not all

We are also partially the product of:Our home Our communities (church, clubs, etc.) Our schools Our interactions with our peers Our interactions with our culture

SO the various components of our environment also matter

BUT that is not all either . . . There is still a challenge:

How to transform these

two . . .

intothese RICH two

or . . .

Intothese HOLY

two

DreamsWe, humans are also the product of our dreams !

Dreams are much more than mere wishes

Dreams are wishes for which we are passionate and for the actualization of which we are committed to developing the necessary competencies

Dreams materialize in the choices we make . . .

To become true, dreams must be transformed into life projects

People in business call dreams “vision” and a life project “mission”

A Life ProjectPersonal component

Who we want to be as persons, as human beingsWho we want to share our life withWhat friends we want to cultivate

Professional ComponentWhat career(s) we choose to embraceWho we want to associate or partner with

Social Component What contribution we expect to makeWhat legacy we hope to leave

Execution

Dreams and life project, vision and mission, will remain in our mind, or on paper, unless and until they are executed, transformed into reality

To bring them into reality two more things are needed

Passion, passionate commitment, motivation Competence, the ability to act competently

Passionate Commitment

The mind is a wonderful thing: intelligence, high iQ, reasoning, ratiocination, argument, problem solving, these are all fantastic things to haveBut we can have a brilliant mind and be a failure The mind, by itself, is unable to motivate and move us, to keep us going in the face of obstacles and difficulties – especially in the face of failure We don’t need an emotional intelligence: we need intelligent emotions: respect for others, cooperation, solidarity, resilience, patience, persistence, courageWithout them we will not get very far

Competent Action These are perhaps the components most valued by the 21st century: skills and competencies

Dreams, vision, life project, intelligent emotions, etc. are necessary, but not sufficient: they are not adequate substitutes for competent action

Discover as quickly as you can what sorts of skills and competencies are required to transform your dreams into reality, and then go and develop them as well you possibly can

Final Counsel Tomorrow, give yourselves two presents:

Get a copy of the movie October Sky, and watch it !Buy a copy of Steven Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, read it, and keep it as reference !

And pray daily, following Reinhold Niebuhr’s (and Ayn Rand’s) suggestion, for these three things:

Courage to do what needs to be doneResignation to accept what cannot be doneWisdom to distinguish one from the other

Eduardo Chaveseduardo@chaves.pro http://liberalspace.net

Slides:http://www.slideshare.net/edwardkeys/our-lady-of-mercy-20140603-english-theme-

35274757

Thank You!