Challenging situations are made up of repeating patterns…
It’s very difficult to see these patterns when we first enter a challenging situation, but, over time we begin recognising them – or at least learning how to deal with them more effectively. We call it experience – and think that it is merely knowing more stuff, but there’s a deeper element of gaining more familiarity with the underlying patterns.
Unfortunately, because we seldom meta-cognate the pattern, we seldom advance beyond getting better and better at the things we’ve done before.
Deliberately finding and understanding the repeating patterns in challenging situations provides us with ever-deeper insights and mastery.
– from Pattern Thinking website
Notice that word meta-cognate. That’s a fancy and succinct way of saying: think carefully about what you are doing and why you are doing it that way, then decide how you need to improve that way of thinking so you can improve that way of doing.
As a TI Coach it is not my goal to tell you what to think, I want to teach you how to think – and teach you the mental tools for solving problems. Swimming is merely the laboratory for discovering and practicing these skills.
When you read my blog posts or other things, what I hope you’ll pick up on is not only the answers to your questions, but an attitude and some skill for finding the answers on your own.
It is a relief to receive answers that solve my problems. And it is a pleasure to share answers with others. But it is deep satisfaction to discover the answers through my own exploratory experience – even if I could have saved time and effort by having someone else do all the work for me.
I want to invite you into that attitude and lifestyle- as a swimmer, and as a person.
I will always enjoy receiving your questions, examining your problems, and offering my observations and suggestions for solutions. This is my passion. I just hope that I do more for you than just supply answers, but also challenge you to examine things more carefully yourself. I hope I also have the privilege of your company in the exploration process – then we get to learn from each other.
© 2013, Mediterra International, LLC. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mediterra International, LLC and Mediterraswim.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.