The Forgotten Art of Handwriting – Relevant in the 21stCentury?

An article about handwriting or what was once called “penmanship” appeared in the Fairfax press yesterday (26 March 2012). To quote:

“ONCE penmanship was an art and handwriting a skill developed through endless practice. Now, teachers say, cursive handwriting is disappearing from secondary schools, leaving many senior students unable to write quickly or fluently. The finger is being pointed at technology.”

“By the time students arrive in high school many dump the cursive style they have been taught in primary school and take on childlike printing — with boys in particular often using block capital letters to write sentences”

There appears to be two schools of thought on this; one that says effectively to move with the times, who writes anymore anyway and another that laments at the decline in fundamental skills.

I was once told by a teacher, when querying about the lack of school and parent focus on handwriting, “don’t worry, they have spellchecker in Microsoft Word“. And who can argue with that logic. We don’t handwrite reports; we use Microsoft Word or the like. We don’t handwrite letters; we email. We don’t handwrite notes; we SMS or use one of the many smartphone or tablet apps.

All of the above also applies to me. I use technology extensively – this newsletter for example. Written in Word and sent to you as an email.

But I still believe the ability to write legibly is up there with the ability to spell (without the use of spellchecker), read, do basic math and comprehend.

The current research indicates that handwriting improves brain development, helping children to write in full sentences and increases cognitive capacity …fundamental stuff!

What has this got to do with 21^st Century professional and personal growth? A great deal.
Writing, along with reading and maths are foundational skills; without these, one builds a proverbial “house on the sand”.

Without the basics, more complex skills become harder to attain and maintain. This could lead to a life on the economic 'scrapheap' as those with the basics move faster and further away from where you are and the jobs you have the skills for slowly disappear.

The Phil’s-osophy

Write by hand when you can. Keep writing by hand. Never ever lose this skill. Keep on revising your reading, writing and mathematic skills. These three form the foundations.

Because should the lights go out, the fundamental skills are the key to getting back into the sunlight.

To your success,
Phil.
http://www.philipwagner.com.au/

Empty Bank Accounts Don't Feed Hungry Mouths

In challenging economic times the art of “rich bashing” becomes a profession. It never ceases to amaze me, why those people who invest time and money in themselves to grow and support themselves and their families and communities, are bashed in media commentary as “rich ba<expletive>ds” and so on.


I attended a seminar recently run by my Thought Leader colleague and friend Dale Beaumont. Dale made the key point:
“Empty bank accounts don’t feed hungry mouths”.


It’s a bit like socialism; great idea until the money runs out.


Bank accounts are like reservoir dams. When times are good, and rains are regular, the dam keeps filling with constant rain and the water is used, both wisely and in the majority, unwisely.


The same happens with bank accounts. A healthy bank account, with savings, constantly replenished, is considered a very basic and fundamental indicator of your financial health.


Why have a full bank account? Because you can make a difference with your financial health and your contributions.

Prevention: a full bank account means you do not have to rely on someone else (read Centrelink & taxpayer) for support.


Contribution: You choose to whom, when, how and how much, you make your financial contribution.


The Phil’s-osophy


Make sure your bank account continues to fill constantly and when emptied, do so wisely.


It does wonders to your feeling of abundance!


To your success,
Phil
http://www.philipwagner.com.au/  

Everyone gets a Fair Go - It's what you do with it that counts.

The Australian tradition of mateship and a “fair go” has been around for a long time. Recent political and public commentary has taken a “fair go” from one extreme to another; from the original intent of an even chance for everyone and the implicit intention that everyone decides what to do with their even chance, to the idea it is an entitlement.

The danger I see is the growing victim mentality (“what about me” and “why aren’t I getting a fair go”) among those believing they are missing out on the rewards or ‘entitlements’.

Leading the charge in this debate are the tabloid newspapers of Australia, with statements like “Greedy banks”, “Rich people leading luxury life while battlers struggle”, “Energy costs slug consumer.”…You get my drift. Bad news sells and so does news portraying some getting more than others.

This got me to thinking and doing some research and it became very clear to me that everyone already gets a “fair go”. The difference was what people decided to do with that “fair go”.

An example is higher education; it is now available in a way like never before; online or offline, part-time or full-time or evenings, and through various delivery modes so that individuals can learn in their own time and in their own way.

Another example is job searching; available in print or online, on your home computer or using the local library.

The Phil’s-osophy

Everyone gets a “fair go” – it’s what they do with that “fair go” that counts! Don’t listen to the media portents of doom telling you you’re missing out – because you’re not. Take responsibility and make sure you use your “fair go” to its fullest extent.

Because everything counts.

To your success
Phil
http://www.philipwagner.com.au/

To Be Serious or Not!

Last time, I wrote about the “will” or “will not”. This week – the “serious” or “serious not”.

I’m writing this newsletter while waiting for a student to turn up to a training session on project management. Our arranged start time is 09:00 AM on a Wednesday. He has sent me an SMS advising he will not be attending until 10:00 AM.

This is now the third week in a row that he has arrived later than our agreed time.

I asked him why he wants to learn Project Management. As with many international students, he wants to stay longer in Australia and doing this course provides the reason for his student visa to be extended.

While he may say he is serious about staying in Australia, his actions are totally contrary to that of staying in Australia. His priorities may lie somewhere else.

If you are not serious about you and your goals and doing something (even small steps) that may be a bit tough to achieve, over time, the lack of seriousness will be transferred to many other areas of life.

This shows the problem for many people; their words are not supported by their actions because really they are not serious about themselves. They have not had that conversation with themselves about what they are prepared to do to achieve it.

The Phil’s-osophy

Those who are serious about themselves, will always reach their goal.

They understand that there is a price to pay for success and they are willing to pay it.

The seriousness creates the drive, the energy and the get up and go. You are either serious about something or you are not! There is no half-measure.

To your success,

Phil.

www.philipwagner.com.au