Joyful Jubilant Learning

Connected Learning

In keeping with this month’s theme, I was originally going to write about all the great places I go online to learn new things – kind of a blogroll of learning resources.  I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach and write about a couple of tools I use to learn things I can truly leverage.  A subtle distinction, perhaps, but it’s one that is important to me.

Connections

There are a ton of social networks around and I’m very reluctant to jump into them because I am concerned about the time investment.  However, in my work (creating and managing alliances between my company and other companies), it’s important to have at least some online networking tools in my toolkit.

The two I use most frequently are LinkedIn and Plaxo.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a business-oriented network that helps me understand how I am connected (or could connect) to others who might be useful in my alliances work.  I work in the computer software industry, and it seems a lot of the people I know have moved into some pretty cool places that are relevant to my current role.  LinkedIn makes it very easy to re-establish contact with them, get introductions, forge new alliances, and so forth.  I’ve also been able to help a number of my old friends in their missions by introducing them to other people I know.  The cool thing (for me, at least, is that I have a long list of contacts that I truly know and trust (it’s not a numbers game or popularity contest for me).  Sure, I know some of them better than others, but that’s no different from offline friends, is it?

LinkedIn also has some other good features, like letting you know when other people you may have worked with in the past have joined LinkedIn (it compares their work history with yours to suggest people you may know so you can connect with them).  You can also see how many people have been viewing your profile recently, and what job title & company they hold - this is useful for me to see which other companies may be interested in my company.

Plaxo

Plaxo is a service that integrates with Outlook (and other things too, but I’m an Outlook user) to help keep my address book up-to-date.  This has been one of the most unexpectedly valuable tools I’ve adopted. 

You see, I’m not just a Plaxo user; I’m a Plaxo member.  This means I am automatically connected to other Plaxo members simply by adding them to my address book – Plaxo makes the connection automatically.  And, once we’re connected, anytime a Plaxo member updates their contact info, company, phone numbers, etc. my Outlook address book is automagically updated.  In the nomadic world we live in, this has been a huge time saver.

But that’s only the beginning.  Plaxo has another awesome feature I really like:  if any of your contacts puts their birthday into their contact record, you’ll automatically receive a notification about a week prior to let you know their birthday is coming up.  Then, you can use another feature of Plaxo to send them an online birthday card (very fast, and only a few clicks). 

The e-card aspect of Plaxo has been very cool for me.  I use this feature to let people know I’m thinking of them (you can send other types of cards, as well), and this has awakened quite a few dormant relationships in the past few years – it’s a good excuse to reconnect.

The other awesome feature I really like about Plaxo is something they call “Plaxo Pulse” which is kind of an RSS feed of what’s happening in my Plaxo network.  For example, I get notified when people post blog entries, when they put pictures on Flickr!, when they change jobs, when they upload a new profile photo, etc.  Again – very good for feeling more connected with the people I know.

If you’re looking to change how you learn about others and up-level your online connectedness, these are a couple of tools I highly recommend.  LinkedIn is free, and Plaxo has both free and fee-based options available.

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Oh - and speaking of birthdays: 

Today is Rosa Say's birthday!  Rosa is the awesome lady that had the initial vision and passion to create this Joyful Jubilant Learning community.  She is a lighthouse for me, and really has a way of bringing out the best in people (including me).

And speaking of connections, Rosa has been another online resource for me to expand my connections.  I have met people all over the world through Rosa's "blog connections" and personal introductions, and she has led me to more learning watering holes than just about anyone.

So join me in wishing Rosa a happy birthday.  She is one of the special ones.

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About the author: Dwayne Melançon is the author of Genuine Curiosity, where he is always on the lookout for new things to learn.

Time to rhyme and learn

While we are celebrating our digital learning here at JJL, April is also being celebrated as National Poetry Month in the United States.

• Did you have a Poem in Your Pocket on April 17th?
• Have you explored your calendar for any poetry events taking place locally?
• Have you read any good poems recently?

Yes, I recognize that there are those who would respond: "by definition, there is no such thing as a good poem". Alas, you do not fully understand what you are missing.

The opportunity to write with some restrictions and focus comes in many forms. One is via a theme. One is via the format.

Hence, a sherku which is my variation, really an extension of haiku.

sherku: defined

focus your writing, say it
all concentrated in just
nineteen syllables

This month I am working on a series of sherku on the stops along the Franklin Line. I ride the rails twice most days, I know the stops by heart but do I know much about what is at each stop? No, hence a little speculation and a little learning ensue on this series, along with a healthy dose of fun.

For the stops I knew very little of, I used Google and Wikipedia for some research. For example, I learned that the land next to Ruggles Station was the site of the South End Grounds where the old Boston Braves baseball team played. These are the Braves that now play in Atlanta.

Franklin Line: Ruggles Station

The old Braves outfield at the
South End Grounds is a
Parking garage at Ruggles

My posting on Steve's 2 Cents about this series got picked up by UniversalHub, a collection of Boston blogs. It inspired commuter-rail limericks. Wow!

I have long admire the work of Limerick Savant so I went back to my trusty companions (Google and Wikipedia) to learn more more about limericks. I read about the story of the limerick challenge that took place amongst some newspapers back in 1924.

This series of limericks first appeared in a June 14, 1924 edition of a Nantucket newspaper. It all began when the Princeton Tiger revived the then well-known limerick printed first below and the Chicago Tribune answered with the second limerick. The New York Exchange went one step further with the third rhyme, and the Pawtucket Times took over from there.

Click through to read the limericks here

As I grew up in Pawtucket (yes, really), I needed no further inspiration:

There once was a lad from Pawtucket
who now had to rhyme with suck it
but he did not dare
as he did not swear
so he found a way to duck it

WHAT IF all your learning inputs were digital?

How would the composition and character of your learning change?

In April, let’s find out!

One way we could look at A Love Affair with Books over the last month is this: The books we had reviewed were love affairs we largely, and lovingly, held in our hands. Whether hard-cover or soft, hefty or thin, our March learning was a tactile pleasure in many ways; we could thrill to the touch of them.

And we’re pushing the envelope on this: I’m quite certain that the article Tim Milburn had written in late February, How To Read An Unfinished Book, had many of us experimenting with our book annotation in uncharacteristic abandon; the new choices we made for our reading are not likely to be described as “in pristine condition” once we’re done with them… will you be trying some full contact reading too? As Tim said, 

“What is a book but the beginning of a conversation? A conversation that is unfinished until you, the reader, become engaged in it. Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I walk into a bookstore and see all of the conversations that I could enter into — too many books, not enough time. But that doesn't stop me from diving in and messing up as many books as I can.” —Tim Milburn, How To Read An Unfinished Book

Learning when you sit in front of your computer screen is a bit different, isn’t it.

For instance, what if you didn’t print anything —ever?

Up until three weeks ago, I was one of those people who had to print every e-book someone would send me. Reading a book or any lengthy document on a computer screen would annoy me. As the managing editor of JJL, I get requests frequently from authors, their agents and publicists, and my response to their inquiries of “can we send you a manuscript or galley for possible review?” is always, “I’d love to see it; mail it to me.” Thankfully, they do, for right now, I couldn’t print their stuff even if I wanted to.

Three weeks ago my printer decided to call it quits.

At the very moment it refused to deliver, I dropped everything to make a special trip to the nearest computer repair place; not having my printer was absolutely incomprehensible to me. I’d discover the fuser had to be repaired, and at more than half of what a new one would cost me— a new printer, not a new fuser! Even if I agreed to fork up the cash I’d have to wait at least a month for them to order the part. So, since then, not having any other choice in the matter, I’ve done without printing at all.

At first it I couldn’t find a new printer that satisfied me. I love living on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, but electronic choices are as few and far between as they can get here.

Then guess what? After a week of doing without it, I discovered that not only was I surviving just fine, I was actually having fun with my printer-less experiment. I already send most of my coaching work to my customers electronically, and so for the errant form or document I MUST get printed I make a stop at a local business-center/Kinko’s type place… amazingly, only twice now in these three weeks, and I’m in the midst of doing my income tax work to boot! I’ve been pushing myself to reinvent some of the ways I work with laptop alone, and yes some paper, but paper that I have to hand-write on.

As the month proceeds I’ll let you know how it goes. Will the fun and adventure of my experiment wear off? We shall see…

Are you a true Digital Learner?

Meanwhile, my co-authors here at Joyful Jubilant Learning have risen to my electronic challenge as well.

How far can they push the edges of the e-Learning envelope? How far can you?

April, fellow JJLers, is all about DIGITAL LEARNING.

In March you collected some books…now, in April get ready to collect some links!

Our JJL Hui of Authors will be sharing some of their favorite online learning places with you, for in cyber space, no classroom is ever too small.

This is going to be great! And you might not need to print a single page either… since when do you really need a printer for learning, hm?

Remember: If we inspire you to share your own learning in sync with our month’s theme, please DO! See our guest author’s guidelines within our FAQ, and get published with us!

~ Rosa Say for Joyful Jubilant Learning

[Flickr Photo Credits: "In a moment" by shaycam, "face printer" by zen, and "Working late" by Delgoff.]

Beware the meme, it may contain more than it seems

Have you taken part in a meme? I have. I don’t jump on every one that comes along but once in awhile, I do find time to participate when it catches my interest. A meme can take many forms. It can be a set of questions to answer (Five things you don’t know about me, is a popular one). Or a set of instructions to follow (like one book meme I recall, that had you go to the first book in your pile, turn to x page, etc.). Or you input the URL of a blog and it does some analysis to produce a widget to post on your blog and attract additional folks to the meme. Like how much is your blog worth? For grins, I checked on this Joyful Jubilant Learning blog to find:

My blog is worth $127,586.04.
How much is your blog worth?

Of course, we are all richer for the learning we share!

I think this example helps to show that memes like this are generally good fun. They tend to further the sharing of information about one another. They do take time and depending upon the viral nature of them, an individual could get tagged about the same time from a couple of different folks.

Some folks decide not to partake in them and I respect their decision. If the person is one I want to know more about, then it is not a big deal. It actually provides a opportunity to further the conversation outside the meme and achieve the same goal; a deeper relationship.

The most recent widget meme I participated in occurred early in January this year. I picked it up from one blog in my PodCamp group. The meme in this case was a widget that advertised the readability of the blog. I had seen a similar one a year or so ago and was curious to see if there were any changes in readability since then. I posted the results and went on my way.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Michael Pollitt, a free-lance writer for the Guardian (UK). He wrote:

It's A "Wonder"ful Time Of The Year

Every so often, I become very conscious of how easily I fall into the commercialism that surrounds the Christmas season. I love giving and receiving gifts as much as the next guy (perhaps even more so). I just don't want to lose sight of what's most important and what's most significant about the holiday season.

As I was reading through some of the posts that have already been written this month on Joyful Jubilant Learning, my eyes caught the left hand margin - The Seven Wonders of JJL.

I remember when we created that list. We were looking for a unique way to share our learning when the calendar struck 7-7-07. Each of those seven "L" words helped us organize our ideas and thoughts.

As I looked over the list, I thought, "They'd make a great Christmas list!"

So in your quest to find the most meaningful of gifts this year, I offer the following:

LISTEN — Listening is so much harder than talking. If you listen, REALLY listen to others, you are offering them a gift that will communicate just how much you value them. Give someone your attention.

LAUGH — Laughter is so much fun. It has a way of healing the soul. Learning to laugh at yourself lightens your spirit. Give someone a moment to laugh so hard it brings tears to their eyes.

LEARN — Learning expands your world. Help others become the people they are meant to be by not remaining the people that they are - grow their minds. Give someone a chance to grow in a new direction.

LINK — My network grows as when I connect to the network of another. My own experience and connections might be a tremendous resource for someone else. Give someone an opportunity he or she might not be able to get on their own.

LOVE — The holidays have a way of magnifying the level of intensity we feel in our relationships. Make sure the ones you love know it. Give your love away. It's much more effective when it's shared.

LIVE — I once heard it said that the life you live, just might be your very own. With that in mind, come alongside others and find ways for them to get the absolute most out of life. Give someone a way to appreciate the best gift that each of us have...TODAY.

LEAP — Sometimes, the hardest step in a new direction is the first one. You can be an en"courage"r in the life of someone else. You can help them believe in themselves and to believe in their dream. The most exiting changes in the right direction happen when one jumps in with both feet. Give someone the courage to jump.

Do you remember what you got last year for Christmas? I'm struggling to do it even as I write this.

If you give gifts that flow from the spirit of the list above, you'll be giving something memorable and meaningful. They'll be gifts that last.
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Tim Milburn approaches life a lot like he approaches presents, enthusiastically moving past the surface of things so that he can get to the heart of the matter. He dedicates much of his time to developing student leaders through his blog and resources at www.studentlinc.net.

Special Birthday Greetings

In case you were not aware, today is a special day. Phil Gerbyshak and I share this day as our birthday. How cool is it that two folks, meeting and connecting through the wonderful world of the web, share the same birthday!

He is off making it great as usual. Add to his day with a birthday greeting!

I am off to get in a good run (during which I'll do some leaping),

then cover some family activities (during which I hope to do some laughing),

and then I should be back online later today to provide some updates (during which I'll do some learning).

Make it a great day!

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Steve Sherlock writes his 2 cent views on life from Franklin, MA. He explores the "good experience", "life long learning" and life in general, after handling the "before you blog" list his wonderful wife Dolores  provides him. Together they are enjoying the empty nest while their daughters are away at college. He has also resumed running and he podcasts tips and coaching advice at Passionate Runner.

More on the 7 Wonders: Learning Links!

Remember this?

LINK — use others’ lessons learned as a springboard for your own, sharing your knowledge freely.

Here are some things we are learning about elsewhere in our Ho‘ohana Community:

1. Rich Griffith of Simplerich has started a series he calls Chain of Security, with thoughtful viewpoints on managing people well with clues from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

2. Angela Maiers of Maiers Educational Services, Inc. introduces Writing Territories to us; her worksheet (offered on pdf) would be well worth the run through for those of us who write multiple blogs!

3. It may be subtle, but a recurring theme here on JJL is definitely what we learn from other people. At Brain Based Biz, Robyn McMaster has a terrific piece on what she learned from Dr. Ellen Weber.

4. Dwayne Melancon of Genuine Curiosity wants to help all of us save the money we spend on airfare.

5. Mark Shead of Productivity 501 teaches us how to back up the hard drive of our computers: Tuesday’s Tip: Effective Backups.

6. At Confident Writing, Joanna Young shares what she has learned from podcasting.

7. Sometimes, the articles which are cleanest at first glance, are the ones that really get you thinking. If you think of yourself as a leader, you must take a look at Employee Engagement is Connection, by David Zinger.

Who would you give a LINK to for sharing their learning this past week? Add it in the comments for us!

Learning from the Blog Action Day story

I’d been wondering how much we could learn in just one day – last Monday, the 15th October.  Blog Action Day.

Now with over 23,000 blog posts written there was clearly a lot of learning going on – and just a bit more than I could hope to digest.  But I did try and get round as many blogsites as I could (divided it by 1,000 – seemed to work!) – because I’m interested in how we talk, share and learn about this issue, and because I wanted to come back here and share some of what I’d learned.

As people started to write their posts I found…

We’re still finding our way to tell this story with confidence

Many people wrote that they weren’t sure if they should or could write – who were they to contribute to this debate?  Some felt the need to make it clear they weren’t active campaigners – environmentalists, tree huggers – just citizen bloggers, expressing an opinion, a feeling or an idea.  Some wrote that they feared a reaction, a loss in readership, by joining in this debate.  And some experienced the direct effect.

That made me feel a little saddened and frustrated at the way the bigger story is going.  Because the environment isn’t an issue that should belong to any one person or group or point of view.  It’s the air that we breathe and the land that we stand on.  It’s part of all of us. 

But fortunately…

We’re finding different ways to tell it

We don’t just use words.  We use pictures, poems, sherkus, humour, cartoons, personal histories to humanise dull subjects, month long campaigns, photographs of our own amazing corner of this planet we call home.

The environment is a pretty big concept. We all find our own way of linking it back to our own experience, our work, our passion, the things that concern us the most. 

Which means…

We tell stories about people and places that inspire us

We tell stories about the source of our inspiration: about business leaders who are learning to make a big difference, about places that develop our emotional intelligence, about places that make us feel grateful, about wild places that fire up our hearts, about what we can see outside our kitchen window, or the feeling of peace and stillness we get by sitting quietly in our own backyard

And I reckon those places help to fire us up because…

We talk a lot about ways we can make a difference

We highlight practical action we can take: cutting back on showers, reducing our consumption of bottled water, saving ink and paper, recycling the materials we use at home, publishing with care for the environment, greening our business, tidying up our local environment, protecting our national parks, lining up our management and leadership values with a commitment to environmental stewardship

But for me what’s more interesting than the lists of practical action is the change – the shift in state or perspective – that the people who wrote them are trying to create.  Because the other thing I remembered is that…

We tell stories to create different states

It lies at the heart of storytelling: we tell stories to evoke a change in state in the person who’s listening.

So we told stories about the importance of curiosity, of mindfulness, of trusting your intuition, of personal environmental action, of gratitude, of breathing your values into your work and your business, of stopping and being still, of developing a sense of place, and over and over again - of the belief that you can make a difference

And I guess those shifts in state, in perception, in awareness, might well be the learning from that one day that turns out to make the biggest difference

So what did I learn, after all, in just one day? 

Plenty, was the best answer I got.  Plenty

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Blog Action Day took place on 15th October. Joanna Young was learning from JJL contributors and readers plus writers and learners around the blogosphere. 

You can check out the 23 blogs she was following, or if you’re keen to learn more, delve into the 23,000 plus who contributed to the debate.

A writer's words, an editor's eye: Blog Action Day, publishing and the environment

Ample Aliveness: A day for gratitude

Brain Based Biz: Ram Shrivastava, CEO, walks the talk of sustainability

Chris Garrett:  Noticing the world around us and Blog Action Day lost me subscribers

Coaching Wizardry: On mindfulness, the sun and the environment

Confident Writing: 20 ways to cut your words and help to save the planet

Dave Rothacker: What's your design? a sense of place

Emoms at Home: 10 green business tips to help prevent Global Warming

Entrpremusings: Rock, paper, scissors - how do we all win?

Freelance Switch: Freelance freedom - blog action day special

Levite Chronicles: Blog Action Day in the Backyard

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog: Personal environmental action

Make it Great: Blog Action Day

Managing with Aloha Coaching:  Blog Action Day 2007 - Responsibility for your sense of place and The Environment and Managing with Aloha

My 3 boys and I: Blog Action Day

Monk at Work: Blog Action Day - leave that which makes you doubt

Ramblings from a glass half full: My passion for parks - a Blog Action Day rewind

Steve's 2 Cents: Blog Action day - environment

Student Linc: Blog Action Day

Success from the Nest: 5 reasons why home based entrepreneurship is the ultimate eco-friendly gig

The Clearing Space: Gratitude in pictures

The Giving Hands: month long campaign on the environment

Word Sell Inc: Our children need sustainable packaging

A Promise to the JJL Community: We will Make A Difference

How has your learning already made a difference, or how do you know it will? What is the difference you are learning to make, and what are you doing to make it happen?

I received a blog tag from Terry Starbucker this past Monday. I’m going out on a limb here, and taking the liberty of responding to him on behalf of the entire hui (group) of contributing authors we have here at Joyful Jubilant Learning.

My feeling is that this is not a conventional blog tag meme, but one that speaks into a commitment you decide to make to uphold the honor of what blogging can, and should be. Like any medium, dignity and honor is created for the whole by the actions of the individuals within it. This does Make A Difference; a big difference.

Thus, I wanted to squeeze my response into our current forum, for it seemed to fit so perfectly. Therefore, I ran short of time to run my draft by my fellow authors here, but knowing them and their intentions as I do, I didn’t feeling forging forward with this was that big a risk: I know that each and every one of them wants to write for a blog that strives higher; one that is committed to making a difference. They are Alaka‘i ka ‘ike, Guides in Learning who lead by their great example [alaka‘i.]

In fact, a few of them have already committed to this Blogger’s Promise (initiated by Joe Hauckes, author of Working at Home on the Internet). You can read what was said by our authors individually:

1. Terry Starbucker: I'm Making Joe's Promise
2. April Groves: Remembering Who I Am with a Promise
3. Joanna Young: Respect for the authentic conversation: comments, links and all that jazz

All of you who read Joyful Jubilant Learning are very important to us. You inspire us in the penning of every word here. We always write in the hope you will decide to join our conversation one day, for then you become teacher and we your willing, eager student. However an online presence can be scary for some, and joining an online community can seem to be too consuming a commitment. We understand, and even if you never choose to add your voice to these conversations, we want you to be proud of us, and proud to learn from us, and with us, silently in your own way.

So I, and I am sure my fellow authors here, do not hesitate to make this commitment to you. In sharing this blogging promise, and joining the ranks of many people we admire, we start with our values:

  [Badge designed by Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness.]

Because we are committed to Aloha and Ho‘ohana,
[i.e. We write with the Intention of unconditional Aloha]
Because we are committed to Collaborative, Lifelong Learning,
Because we are committed to the Inclusiveness of Community,
Because we are committed to the Possibilities We Create within our Humanity,

We, the Authors of Joyful Jubilant Learning do Ho‘ohiki
[We make this Promise]

We will add value and conduct ourselves with distinction in the blogging community.

• We will be sure to comment on other Blogs if we can add to the conversation in our spirit of collaborative learning.
• We will respond to comments on our own Blog.
• We will acknowledge any links to our Blog with a comment on or trackback to the linker’s Blog.
• We will continue to link to other Blogs that are pertinent to our posts’ content.
• We will commit to being a Vital part of the Blogging Community, in full acceptance of our responsibility in Learning Leadership.

And you know what? We do collaborate here: No post is ever set in stone forever … Consider this a first run, and jump in with your feelings my fellow authors, for I am happy to keep editing this until we have a manifesto we proudly shout from the blog-tops in one clear voice, Lōkahi.
~ Rosa Say

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Footnotes to references above:

• on Ho‘ohana: By Blaine Collins: The Body Ho‘ohana

• on Ho‘ohiki: On Ho‘ohiki: Keeping your promises

• on Lōkahi: Lōkahi Teams: The ties that bind are your shared values, and Lōkahi Teams: When they are Virtual and Voluntary.
  
  By Joanna Young: Lōkahi: the language of collaboration.

• on Making A Difference: Our Compilation Page.
  

If I was a life long learner

Our collaborative effort is complete. If you are not familiar with the original song you can view it via YouTube.

And with our sincere apologies to the Barenaked Ladies here is the JJL version:

If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd write on my blog (I'd write on my blog)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd buy a real new computer (maybe a nice Apple or an HP)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd learn to use del.icio.us (a big fancy link-sharing machine )
If I was a life long learner, I'd link to you

If I was a life long learner
I'd join a group of joyful learners
If I was a life long learner
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I was a life long learner
Maybe we could collaborate on a song
Wouldn't that be wonderful!

If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd send you an email (but not a spam email, that's cruel)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd invite you to the group (like LinkedIn or FaceBook)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd record a podcast (maybe a video someday)
If I was a life long learner I'd link to you

If I was a life long learner
We wouldn't have to walk to the library
If I was a life long learner
We'd ask the group a question something we didn't know
If I was a life long learner We wouldn't have to go without knowing

If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd live without watching TV (especially a reality show, that's cruel)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd leap to help someone in need (like a good Samaritan)
If I was a life long learner (If I was a life long learner)
I'd laugh with you at good jokes (maybe tell one myself)
If I was a life long learner I'd love to link to you.

Notes to Make A Difference by (audio)

The audio post version of the written post found here.

Time: 5 minutes, 46 seconds

MP3 File

Barnstable does it right

My official turn here comes up later this month but an article in today's Boston Globe caught my eye. The Barnstable High School Girl's Volleyball Team is a powerhouse in MA. How it got there and stays on top of its game is the confirmation of lessons for us.

The girls on Barnstable High School's legendary volleyball team decide over a sub-shop lunch to warm up to Kanye West's "Stronger" at the season home opener that could bring their winning streak to 100 matches. Then they dash through a downpour to Kristi Everson's Ford Escort and Kara Cullen's Jeep for the short ride to afternoon practice.

After slogging through axle-deep puddles, Cullen's brakes fail at a red light, and she hits Everson's car. Nobody is hurt, but Everson erupts into tears when she pulls into the school parking lot and inspects the crumpled back of her 8-year-old compact. Cullen moans, "I just rear-ended my best friend's car." Casey Eagan breaks the tension. "This is a 'thunderbolt,' she announces. "We'll get through it.

Once again, the team reaches for the counsel of professional basketball coach Pat Riley, dispensed in his book The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players, which their coach, Tom Turco, has them read every year.

and this:

Turco has begun his 20th year as head coach. He's an adaptive physical education teacher specializing in special needs students. When he wanted, in 1986, to try working with more typical youngsters as well, girls' volleyball needed a head coach. Never mind that Turco's experience consisted of one season of club volleyball at Bridgewater State College. He landed the junior varsity job, not varsity. "Thank God," he says. In 1988 alone, his first year as head coach, he attended a dozen coaching clinics. The team's 5-11 record that season comprises one-quarter of Turco's 43 career losses.

"As frustrated as I was, I sought the advice of some very, very good people," Turco recalls. "I was either going to not coach or be a successful coach."

Unlearning mediocrity

It is easy to "just get by." Ask me how I know. For much of the previous two decades, I knew what it took to fly under the radar, stay out of trouble and do just enough.

• Mediocrity - The quality or state of being mediocre.
• Mediocre - of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance; Ordinary, so-so

That about covers it.

I always knew I had more potential. Why did I live that way? Why do I still have to fight to keep from going back there? Phil asked me a very similar question. My answer - fear. "Of success or failure?" he asked. Both.

This unlearning of mediocrity is the reason I said "Yes!" to JJL. I have found the first and best step to overcoming this fear - don't look at it as success or failure, just learn and trust the process.

My goals as defined through the 7 Wonders of Jubilant Learning

• Listen to those around me.  They have so much to offer and they do so freely.
• Laugh at myself. There are few things that should be taken so seriously.
• Learn everyday. Or relearn. Or unlearn.
• Link into community. Singularly we are wonderful - collectively we are masterful.
• Love the life I am in while striving for the life I want.
• Live to give back.
• Leap even if I am afraid.

That's the opposite of mediocrity.

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Post author April Groves is the author of Making Life Work For You providing information on community, success, and life management in real estate sales, and My Beautiful Chaos, a personal weblog which celebrates her family and friends, and her spirit of play.