Young Hands Club

I hear you’re meant to read the fine print before signing, so let’s have a look at what the Young Hands Club is about – in the words of the Professor and current students.

diana_coman: it’s about learning, working efficiently and effectively with others and generally building up what you do so it grows day by day, sustainably, rather than going nowhere in a year or less.

Sounds good! I’m coming to terms with the sustainable part (I’m already well aquainted with going nowhere in a year or less, though that’s a story for another day), having bitten off way more than I could chew. It’s also a somewhat odd realisation that I can’t recall having worked with others – effectively/efficiently or not – in quite a while (not since medschool?). Aside from the Professor, interacting with the other students is super valuable.

My personal project, the Young Hands Club, remains fully focused on providing -indeed on carving even, if need be- the sort of learning space that I can’t see anywhere else around, aimed at figuring things out, not at “being right/comfortable” and focused on changing oneself for the better not on protecting oneself from change.

I suppose it’s only normal to feel uncomfortable when awakening from hibernation – and though coming out of the torpor is haggard, it’s better than staying asleep. I’m currently still in the process of shaking off the cobwebs and warming up.

dorion:I see it more as you’re interested in creating relationships and helping people become more effective in achieving their goals. Pretty much all you’ve demanded so far is they commit to consistently improving themselves

I’d had YH members’ weekly schedules pop up in my RSS feed for a good 6 months before I decided I should finally get off my arse and get involved. Their growth/productivity was a major reason I wanted in, and I’m continuing to see how much more productive others are being. 

If you want to figure out what things are, how they work and why the difference between those two aspects even matters, if you want to work with others and to build up on existing infrastructure that can support you to get further than if you keep reinventing the wheel every time or if you are looking for meaningful feedback, clarity, effectiveness and confidence based on actual competence and experience, come in and ask for voice, it’s as simple as that.

Just mind your step, realise that it’s all likely quite different from anything else you’ve met and known so far and take your time -even better: ask your questions- to understand how it all works, as it all goes deeper than you probably realise at a first glance. It’s that depth that can help you too, if you only choose to build on it as the solid foundation that it is and to work together with others instead of isolating yourself on your own and aiming to solve problems that have been solved already. The trouble of course is to know about those solutions – so come to #ossasepia and ask!

I’ve been manalone-ing way too long: people exist, and they’ve done things (it’s true: I’ve seen their blogs!) – one just has to connect.

It’s actually pretty simple: YH is a place where people grow under the authority of a Master. I think that last word was the hang-up: it sounded vaguely LARP-y/BDSM-y; but I think this says more about me – and the culture that incubated me – than anything to do with YH. Why should I have felt so uneasy about the idea of a formally defined relationship between a superior and an inferior? Come to think of it, I don’t know – even know of – anyone who’s been formally mentored!

Now, it’s pretty absurd that a 31 year old man can’t stick to a weekly schedule; be that as it may, I’ll switch to a daily agenda: starting tonight, I’ll have the next day’s itinerary posted before bed, and there’ll be a daily review of work done – this ought to leave less wiggle room for procrastination (or at least force me to have to address it quicker).

It seems obvious I’m currently well-placed in the “Hopefuls” category – the last thing I want to do is waste Diana’s – or anyone else’s – time by committing in word-only. Let’s see how the above change of scheduling goes – one day at a time, as they say.