Death X Ambition
If you’re going to travel fast, go alone.
If you’re going to travel far, also go alone.
If you’re ambitious and don’t have time for less-ambitious people,
you’re going to have to spend a lot of time alone.
Author: Dr. Timony
Bind Ambition; a rant
Ambition is the last refuge of failure. ~Oscar Wilde
Hungry. Restless. Itchy.
It is in your bones. You have it or you do not. I am not trying to mystify any constructs here, I am getting to the heart of the matter.
Motivation. Ambition. You are always doing what you are motivated to do.
For those who are indeed ambitious, there are some critical steps necessary to develop functional activity and connect that activity to achievement.
- Acknowledge
- Define
- Plan
- Discriminate
- Sleep
Acknowledge the flood of interests, curiosities, and knowledge that you have. No humble-brag. No intended arrogance, here. It is important to have some self-awareness. I will touch on that in other sections as well. You are someone who has made it this far because you are motivated and love to know about things. You have developed a method for mastery of plenty of domains and you know enough to be an asset to many other people and, if you are not careful, you will be stretched thin and get nothing done.
Define your core interests. I know, it is hard. It is like picking your ONE favorite record or your SINGLE favorite book. Nearly impossible but not impossible. What is the one you couldn’t live without. Well, the same has to be true of your primary contribution. What will people say about you when you are dead? Gone? What is on your career tombstone? What is engraved on your retirement watch? What will they say? Will they agree? Does it match your ambitions?
Plan for success. You have whittled your interests down to a single one. That was the hard part–or was it? Find the true beginning. Is there enough of a foundation on which to stand or do you need to revisit? Is it worthy of a full meta-analysis as a foundational paper or project? Even if you have a solid foundation, it is probably worth a full review for your own work. It is probably publishable, as well, especially if you can connect your work to a notable anniversary or new interpretation of the established publications. Map out your three, six, and twelve month activities and mix them up among local and national speaking engagements, opinion or provocative scholarly articles, and eventual publication of original work. Every thing you write should be publishable, even if it is a letter or opinion to a periodical or critical response to a publication. Always have an iron in every fire at every stage of the game and always be ready to tell someone about it.
Discriminate among your projects, prospects, interests, invitations, and pleasures. Do not be a hoarder. Keep a list and either complete a project or kick it off the island. Remember, you are always motivated to do what you do. If a project is on your to-do list too long, you are probably not that into it and will either A) never get it done; or worse B) hate it when you do.
Sleep. Go to sleep. Sacrificial sleep. Do not allow the distractions to win. The work that you do is necessary, important, and does not belong to you. Put it on paper and let us have it. It is not simply a “contribution to the field” that piles upon piles will justify your position. It may be one thing — or the only thing — that pushes some critical ideas to the surface.
What does it mean to be an Expert in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Expertise, that is superlative levels of skill in a particular area, has been studied since the late 1800s and in more recent years has become of much greater interest. As a graduate student and now as a researcher and full time faculty member, I have spent my time looking at various areas where Expertise plays a significant role in the advancement of a particular domain. My first exploration into Expertise dealt with Expert teachers: how they were perceived, what Expertise looked like in practice, and how Expertise influenced the classroom where they taught.
My latest project is looking at Expertise in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There are currently no established definitions of Expertise in Jiu Jitsu. That is where you come in.
I want to hear from you and I want to hear about you. Tell me about your Jiu Jitsu habits and interests. And then I want you to tell me who the Experts are and what they do.
This is the first step in mapping the Road to Expertise and I am grateful to have so many voices who can contribute to this process.
Please go to this link: Expertise in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and tell me your story and give me your input on this topic. It will take less than ten minutes and will help to define my work.
Please share this post and the survey link.
Thank you!
David
Seventeen and a half Inch Neck
Not everyone knows what it is like to be the odd man out. Lacking fit. I am used to it in lots of ways. Outside of education discussions, my most persistent experience with this is when I buy clothes. You see, I am built for speed. Not too high off of the ground so as to incur headwinds. I have been known to hit the gym. So when I need, say, a shirt this is often the beginning of a bit of an adventure. The best method to get around this is to know what brands and what stores make clothes that fit my body type. In the case of clothing that cannot be tried on, like a new Jiu Jitsu gi, I have to call or send an email. It usually goes like this:
What size gi should I order?
Have you looked at the sizing chart?
Yes. I’m 5’7″ and 210 lbs.
Well, which is it?
What?
If you’re 5’7″ you should get an A2.
But I’m 210 lbs.
Oh. Well, I guess you can buy an A3 and try to shrink it.
Now try getting a dress shirt with 32 arms and a seventeen and a half inch neck. This sums up a lot of areas in my life.
You know? I can’t get behind that.
Classrooms are not designed for class activities, they are designed for class sizes. Seated.
I can’t get behind that.
Curricula are designed for tests. Or teachers.
I can’t get behind that.
Teachers are prepared for management.
I can’t get behind that.
Education is designed for compliance and one path is the best and variants are considered failures.
I can’t get behind that.
It is 2014 and we are not required to accept everything that is given to us. To fit. It is time to rebel. We can no longer accept the teacher who is not also an activist and advocate.
Passivity is acceptance. Endorsement. Establish the rule of engagement. Engage. Fight.
Dig into Goodness of Fit. Seek to understand why we do not have to fit.