Learning for the joy of it

What they have to do with Pathways and with learning?

Did you read Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach?

I was visiting USA for the first time in my life. 42 years old. Invited by a family from New Cumberland in Pensilvania for a week after a conference in New York and before a professional visit in Bethesda Maryland. 


The lady of the family had studies also Chemistry, but did not "work" officially at least. She did a lot of voluntary work!

She offered me this book at the end of my stay: you are like him! Learning, experimenting, persisting for the intrinsic reward, the joy it brings. 

Indeed, we can learn for the reward something brings us, external awards or recognitions. All of us do enjoy those also, but for many of us it is not the most important. From that point of view, every three project offers a new award and that can be pleasant too. Besides all that the teaching brings for professional use.

But some of us do it for the pleasure of it mostly, if not only for that. Mathew Kleinosky just published in the Pathways Discussion Forum: 100 paths had been finished just now!
I analyzed the data and found out that between those 100 path, 33 were finished by just a few of us. Five of us with more then 2 paths and the others with 2. 

Here are those paths for which an Award was submitted, of course I am sure, like me, some did finish but wait to declare it. Mark Snow is way on to more paths, and I do know I have also finished 4 and have 3 more "on the burner", one that I am on Level 4 finished if not declared yet too.

We do it not to get more and more awards, but we enjoy doing the projects and what we learn from them. While it is pleasant to see myself between the five with "most paths finished" that does not drive me. The pleasure of what I do and skills, knowledge and even behavior change I gain is what is most important.

I analyzed the data published, after 100 path finished, and sorted them by paths finished.

Presentation Mastery, Visionary Communication on the top, were also my first one's. Dynamic Leadership I am beginning now Level 5, Effective Coaching I am one of those 9, and Leadership Development will be soon declared. I finished it in January but it is not yet "on" TMI as an award, waiting for my last club to rollout, in a week.

As for the rest, Innovative Planning toward which the program was biased, begun with a huge number but after level 2 (L1 and L2 almost same for all path), it went down. Only 25% of all finished a Path from the last five paths in my list, while 75% finished from the five path on top. 

From those paths, only Effective Coaching finishes with a High performance leadership, and I suppose those who took it, most already Coaching, persisted. I am not sure about Motivational Strategies, but 11 did finish level 4 already, and the last level asks for at least six month leading a team. 

The experience of leading now and not "having lead once" is different, and I believe those who understand it, have to wait. In plus, only one Level 5 for each club in year can be added for the DCP points, so possible some wait, even if they finished the path. A lot more have to be done, before applying to a DTM roles to be filled that last a lot longer.

What motivates you most? A good word? An award? Be be useful? To progress and learn skills for the pleasure of it?