Tag Archives: learning

Variety is my carrot. Climate change is my stick.

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Variety is my carrot, since most people like variety and often want a bit more of it. Climate change is my stick, since we’re pretty much going to have to do more about climate change. But whether you’re motivated by variety, climate change, or both, learning and using the proximity thinking framework can make a difference.

Let’s start with the stick. If you believe in climate change, why wouldn’t you explore a new framework for thinking about it and dealing with it? The framework I’m talking about is proximity thinking, and especially one part of it called the sustainable proximities approach. However, if you do not believe in climate change, then you should also not believe in insurance. Because doing something to lessen the impact and threat of climate change is essentially getting some insurance. And, if you do not believe in insurance, then good luck to you, my friend, because there will likely come a day when you need some luck.

On the carrot side, if you do not believe in climate change, then perhaps you do believe in a life with some variety. Or if it hasn’t really become a belief, I’ll bet you at least want some variety in your life. And if you think about variety for a while, you’ll realize that what you probably want is sustainable variety. But then we are back to this new framework for thinking called proximity thinking. Part of the framework is the idea of sustainable proximities. How does that relate to variety? Here’s the thing: I think sustainable proximities and sustainable variety go together. I think they help create each other and enhance each other. Of course, it’s possible you don’t believe in, or want, some variety in your life. Again, I wish you the best of luck, because probably, no matter how great your life is, there will come a day when you get tired of it, and want some variety. If you, and we, don’t have ways of getting sustainable variety, we’re going to be depending on luck for the needed variety, and some of that variety may not be as pleasant as we like. If your life is working for you just fine as is, it’s probably partly because you’re getting enough variety. But getting enough variety is partly about keeping your eyes open for new kinds of variety, so sustainable proximities should interest you as well, in your quest for ongoing, sustainable variety.

So now you have both a carrot and a stick to help get you to explore proximity thinking!

“How to ProxThink That” Webinar Series Launched

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We’ve launched a new webinar series, our first! Combining a conference call and online work, this interactive intro webinar will help you learn How to ProxThink That. Limited to 24 people, this interactive session may fill up quickly. It will be hosted by David Loughry, creator of proximity thinking. The first sessions will be August 25th and 26th.

You can find links to current webinars via our Eventbrite page at:
http://proxthink.eventbrite.com

As of today, here are the key event details.

What we’ll do:
1. Introduce you to the ProxThink framework and tour the site.
2. Practice generating ideas using ProxPatterns and the Growth Model. To relate to your life, we’ll practice generating ideas for social, business and community situations.
3. Q&A (Questions and Answers)

What’s included (after the session):
1. You’ll have a post-session call with David, any time within a year, for further questions or discussion (up to 15 minutes).
2. You’ll get a ProxThink website membership, which includes the power to turn off ads, space for saving ideas, and a way to track your learning.
3. You’ll be sent a printable PDF of the ProxPatterns formatted to cut out for your wallet or purse. Feel free to share this with others.

What you’ll get:
1. New perspective, new framework, mental stimulation and a quicker onramp: You’ll gain a new way of looking at the world and a new framework that gives you more options for thinking, creating, innovating, solving problems, boosting sustainability, and living. Plus there’s the mental stimulation, and a quicker onramp to learning about proximity thinking than learning it on your own.
2. New ideas and the satisfaction of helping others: We’ll develop ideas during the session for some situations you and others may face. You may benefit and possibly help others too.
3. Possibility of proxri for you: We may make public some ideas we develop, via the ProxThink River blog. For both the public ideas, and ideas only the session participants can access, you’ll have the possibility of getting proxri for them from a session participant or someone out there in the wide world.

What you’ll need:
1. A phone or a way to make voice calls via Skype. Either will do.
2. A computer. You will want at least two browser windows open at once, so the bigger the screen the better.
3. A Google account, so you can access the shared Google Doc we’ll be working on. Please know the email associated with your Google account BEFORE registering. (You can get a Google account without getting Gmail, if you want, using your existing email account.)

For current suggested pricing, and to find a date that works for you and to register, please visit:
http://proxthink.eventbrite.com

Asians Might Learn ProxThink Quicker?

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(r] proxthink.com

“Americans are more likely to see categories. Asians are more likely to see relationships.” So says David Brooks in his recent op-ed Harmony and the Dream. He is using scientific experiments as sources, and he also says: “Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts.”

Individuals and categories (Americans) are more like the ProxThink term element. Relationships and contexts (Asians) are more like the ProxThink terms relationship and proximity. And once you see relationships and proximity, you’re likely to see elements too.

It’s important to note ProxThink doesn’t favor the proximity, since the proximity consists of elements related or potentially related to a situation, in physical, mental and other ways. In other words, the proximity is both elements and relationships. Further, you are aware of the proximity when you are aware of elements and relationships and the situation.

So maybe Americans could benefit more from ProxThink, but Asians will learn to use it faster? Perhaps. But you never know. There are limits to these sorts of generalizations.

To learn more about elements, relationships and proximities, join ProxThink.com.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

We’ve Been Busy

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(r] proxthink.com

I haven’t posted in a while, but not for lack of content. I have a huge list of blog post topics. But I’ve been busy with numerous site upgrades. Here are the top ten, in no particular order:

  1. A huge upgrade to the ProxThink Hints areas for members, including expansion pages for each hint, a new VIU Hint feature, Pairs tools and other improvements.
  2. A new password system that allows logging in and out.
  3. Ways to save information on the site, for example to track your learning or save ideas.
  4. Banner space allowing ads which you can turn on or off.
  5. Reworked the Start areas for clarity and usability.
  6. Added random images from artdown.com for visual variety.
  7. Added “Share” buttons to pages for bookmarking, social networking and emailing links.
  8. Wrote or updated several pages in the public join areas to better explain what ProxThink is about and how it can be used. These include the Potential Benefits, Sustainability and ProxThink Innovations pages, and a long list on the homepage called Ways to Use ProxThink.
  9. Wrote a Dear Visitor page outlining actions people can take to get involved with the growth of ProxThink.
  10. Created a Suggested Minimum Proxri page, which explains and lists some suggested minimum annual proxri ranges, for the times when people may not have the time, energy or interest to explore the Proximity of our Proxri Deal, as they decide how they want to proxri.

To experience the changes, join ProxThink.com.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.