Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England’s Post

For the past three weeks, I've been learning about swimming pools, how they work, and how to care for them. I've been reading manuals and watching YouTube videos on variable-speed pumps, auto-pilot pool chlorinators, ways to test water clarity and balancing, cleaning filters, and maintaining the pool's surface above and below water and especially with a focus on climate change. It's been challenging, but it's good for me to learn. It made me realize that learning new things is an opportunity for people of any age, especially for mature adults and sages. Challenge yourself to learn something new. It might happen in one day or over a few weeks, but commit to learning something new. Here I am, 72, a Vintage Pool Boy. It's not back-breaking work but rather relaxing, meditative, highly satisfying when the pool shines right to the bottom, and good exercise. You get to be your own boss, too. You can even set up a business and help others with their pools and spas, especially if you are reliable and come through solving problems for people with pools and maintaining something that gives people pleasure. #learning #choices #personalgrowth #jobpride #commit2chane #lifecoaching #Daily #1646

** Training in the real world, as opposed to isolation, is crucial for developing practical skills and adaptability. ** Learning to swim in the ocean makes a swimming pool look pretty easy.. At the same time, only swimming alone in a backyard pool doesn't make you ready for the ocean! ** Real-world scenarios provide context, challenges, and nuances that isolated training may lack. It helps individuals apply knowledge in dynamic situations, fostering problem-solving abilities and preparing them for the complexities of real-life experiences. ** Crawl, walk, run. Slowly push thresholds. When you fail, back off, assess, start off, push thru. ** Dogs only know what you show them and what you teach them. Show them the world. Show them calm. Show them out of control. Show them every possible thing during training and the real world will see like a cake walk...

When was the last time you learnt something new? #Learning things as an adult is hard, right. We’re all aware of how easy it is to pick things up as a child. We’re all guilty of starting to learn a language and moaning about how much easier it would have been if we were taught French from the age of two. This winter, I’ve been in Canada, learning to #snowboard. Snowboarding is one of those things that goes completely against your natural instinct. Pushing your weight forwards and hurtling down a slope. As an adult, as you find yourself standing at the top of a steep drop (which is definitely more of a soft and gradual incline…), all you are thinking about is how stupid this idea is. You think about everything that can go wrong. You think about how much further you have to fall now you’re no longer 4ft tall (and trust me you do. A lot.) This is something that transfers to most of life. Every time you make a fresh decision, you weigh up these things, the balance of how much you have to lose. It is so easy for all those negative ‘what-ifs’ to overpower the positives, of which I promise are many. But getting out of my comfort zone has shown me that I can do hard things. And, beyond that, that I can enjoy them. And trust me, the view from the top is worth it. 🥳 I just want to leave you with this thought. How many things have you put off because you think you’ll never be able to do it?

I started to learn skiing last year. And I’m really not good, still trying to master the easy blue slopes while staying alive and in one piece. Sometimes not easy but definitely fun. It really strikes me hard how humbling is the learning experience. It’s not easy to accept that I’m not good at something. Or to accept mistake after mistake, fall after fall. Learning is a moment when I personally feel vulnerable and yet courageous, uncomfortable and yet excited. There is nothing wrong with living in the comfort zone, but true growth requires an active effort to expand it beyond the current borders. This is also the reason why Psychological Safety is extremely important for any team to learn. It will make it safer for members to try out new things, practice, make mistakes and learn from them. #psychologicalsafety #learning #courage #beyondcomfort #vulnerability

As a triathlete, learning three sports is a challenge but swimming has always been a tough one for me. Yesterday I cycled solo for 30km into London to the Royal Docks for a swim. A new venue is always a bit daunting and being a pretty windy day the return leg of the swim was choppy with waves and spray to deal with. This quote really highlights why I love this sport so much. The challenge of trying to improve my technique to make the stroke easy, smooth and fast. I’m getting there. Two years ago I couldn’t swim 100m without a break. Yesterday I swam 1km without stopping. The point of all this? I understand how learning a new skill can be a challenge. I apply this to my work, helping students on their touch typing journey. Breaking down their learning into easy steps so that it gets easier every time. Building confidence along the way. What life experiences do you bring to your teaching to help the students you work with?

It was Daisy's swimming lesson again last night and it's great to see her learning new skills. It's usually packed shoulder to shoulder learning this and sometimes the instructors words are lost around the noise of it all. As she gets older I know lessons will move into Lanes so she has more room. Daisy uses the closeup environment to check out how others are doing things to help her learn, when instructions haven't been as clear and timeframes are maybe squeezed fitting all the lesson structure in, and I can see how it really helps her. We have talked about, and implemented lanes within the company structures over the last year and I agree it works to some degree but not fully. I think it's great to have clear roles and tasks but also feel by having clear separations as well there are lots of places where having these restrictions hold people back with their upskills and learning, and sometimes even feeling part of a team because they are left alone with it. We can all be told how departments are run, what they have been doing, what has changed but without actually ever spending time being involved with it, ultimately we have no experience in the process to maybe help or advise what is really working unless it's raised externally. Should there be more of a crossover with roles and departments in a business and in learning? What are your thoughts? #lanes #businessagility

Have you ever thrown yourself or been thrown at the deep end? We've all heard the saying, "You learn swimming by throwing yourself into the water." 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐫—𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. During my 10th-grade summer vacation, my elder brother, who had just returned from his NDA training, nudged my father to let us learn swimming. I was terrified of water, sticking mostly to the shallow end, cautiously practicing floating and a couple of strokes. One day, our instructor noticed my hesitancy and decided to push me—literally. He invited me to the deep end, around 18-20 feet deep, saying he'd be right there with me. I reluctantly agreed. As we climbed the springboard, he suddenly pushed me into the pool without any warning. As I plummeted into the deep, my heart raced, and I thought it might be the end for me. I screamed and cursed at him, but as I hit the water, I felt the buoyancy lift me back up. Struggling to stay afloat, I saw the instructor in the deep end, calmly encouraging me to swim to the edge. I somehow managed to do it. When I reached the side, I felt a mix of relief and accomplishment. All my anger toward the instructor vanished, replaced with a newfound confidence. I climbed up the springboard again and took another jump, this time on my own. This experience taught me that sometimes, facing our fears head-on is the only way to overcome them. It also showed me the importance of having someone by our side, guiding us through our struggles. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒆, "𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓," 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏. What has been your experience? And in case you have learnt swimming, how did you learn it? How did you overcome your fear of water and other fears? #overcomingfear #learningbydoing #lifelessons #swimming #resilience #nevergiveup #leadership #vikasdhall ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please consider following me at Vikas Dhall if you like what I share ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motivating Children to Learn to Swim Learning to swim is an essential life skill that can be both fun and rewarding for children. However, many kids can be hesitant or even fearful of the water, making it challenging to motivate them to learn. As parents and educators, it's crucial to approach this process with patience, understanding, and a dose of creativity. One effective strategy is to make swimming lessons an enjoyable experience. Incorporate games, songs, and interactive activities that help children associate swimming with fun and laughter. Praise their efforts and celebrate their progress, no matter how small, to boost their confidence and encourage them to keep trying. Another approach is to involve children in the process. Let them choose their swimsuits, pool toys, or even the snacks they'll enjoy after the lesson. This sense of ownership can foster excitement and make them more invested in the learning experience. It's also important to address any fears or anxieties they may have about the water. Explain the safety measures in place and demonstrate how to stay safe while swimming. Consider enrolling them in lessons with friends or siblings, as familiar faces can provide comfort and support. Remember, every child learns at their own pace, so be patient and avoid comparing them to others. Celebrate their achievements, no matter how small, and keep the focus on the joy of learning a new skill. By creating a positive and encouraging environment, we can help children overcome any initial apprehensions and develop a lifelong love for swimming.

📢 HIRING: Swimming Instructors 📢   Let's take a deep dive into some myths about this role! ❌ Myth: You need to be the best swimmer out there to be good at this job 🏊♀️ Fact: Being great at swimming is one skill, however the ability to teach is another. People from all ages learn at different starting points, and you could be teaching basic skills like gaining confidence in a pool, how to float, and exit safely!   ❌ Myth: This is just a casual job, not a career 👩🏫Fact: It can be either! Being a swimming instructor gives you a lot of life skills – some of our swimming instructors are on their way to pursuing a career in education, nursing, and support work where they have gained valuable and transferrable skills from this role!   ❌ Myth: You only work with little kids 👨👩👧👦Fact: Lessons are offered to anyone from 6 months right up until adults (yes, including seniors!). We have lots of different age groups that keep it interesting- teenagers and even adults need to learn how to swim!     Fast facts: ✔ Multiple casual opportunities 🏊♂️ Complementary gym & swim membership 💲  $34ph (incl. casual loading) +11% super     🤔 How do I find out more? https://lnkd.in/gdn3rhSt     #hiring #council #counciljobs #opportunity #localgovernment #governmentjobs #community #work #adelaidejobs

No learning without discomfort. You know you are learning something new when you experience some form of discomfort. First time skiing this weekend for me, surely did not feel comfortable during the first few hours but it reminded me of very practical aspects we should keep in front of us at work: - Give yourself some grace, you will learn and improve - Embrace the discomfort as being the discovery of something different, new - Don't be afraid to ask for help - Be open to feedback and course correct based on it - Trust yourself and believe you can do it - Be committed, put the effort in Once you get the basics, it is now time to pro-active over and over again to perfect the newly acquired skills. Puzzling to see how we do these things so intuitively when you learn how to swim, ride a bike but completely forget these at work.