Red Team Journal Project

I'm in the midst of an Adult Learning and Adult Development class. We had a speaker in yesterday’s class for Adult Development. It’s a tough class and the speaker was intriguing. She discussed how she created a program to help officers in the military reach self-authorship. One major component . . . . Journaling. 

Not just a diary, but journaling toward a goal. Journaling toward a purpose. 

So, I'm starting and will keep up my own journal toward a purpose. The purpose of this journaling that I’m starting? I’ll be journaling to get closer to self-authorship. 

I thought about doing this here on the blog. Hell, much of what I write here could be considered an active journal. I betcha much of what I do journal on this project will end up here, but I need a private place too. If only because I need the privacy and security to know that what I write can be mine alone, my own self-growth opportunity. 

So, this journal entry is just to start the trend (as you can tell, this post is an excerpt from the journal). I have to kick off the ball. I have to get on the field. That’s this. 

What is self-authorship?Accourding to wikipedia;

Self-authorship is defined by Robert Kegan as an "ideology, an internal personal identity, that can coordinate, integrate, act upon, or invent values, beliefs, convictions, generalizations, ideals, abstractions, interpersonal loyalties, and intrapersonal states. It is no longer authored by them, it authors them and thereby achieves a personal authority."

Self-authorship is only a single phase of development within the lifelong process of self-evolution. Instead of depending on external values, beliefs, and interpersonal loyalties, self-authorship relies on internal generation and coordination of one's beliefs, values and internal loyalties. This phase can often be seen at critical turning points in an individual's life, such as during education for a professional career.

Self-authorship spans over three dimensions: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. It is based on theory involving adult learning and gaining of knowledge with the product of self-authorship including learning and growth. The concept of the "object" and the concept of the "self" make up self-authorship. One is not born with self-authorship. There are steps to attain self-authorship which include following external formulas, then crossroads and eventually obtaining self-authorship. There are elements of self-authorship that include trusting the internal voice, building an internal foundation and securing internal commitments.

I've written about self-authorship here before. See HERE and HERE.

There's a lot of ambiguity and the Wikipedia definition is fairly in-depth, long-winded, and can be a bit convoluted. But, what does self-authorship mean to me?

For me, it means moving away from the “socialized” mindset. The mindset where someone’s beliefs, thoughts, and feelings are ruled by or monitored and led by the social groups around us. Instead, the self-authored individual is free to express their own thoughts and feelings without worrying about what others around them think. They are sure of their opinions even if they are what the group may think is wrong. They are also open to others’ opinions and are not threatened by them. They understand that there are ill-constructed problem sets in the world. Problems with no clear answer and these ill-constructed problems are okay in the world. They exist and may never be answered. 

So, am I there? I think to a great degree I am. I see myself in a lot of definitions up there, both my own informal one and the formal one. But just like all things, I don’t think I’m fully there. I’m not complete. That is the purpose of this journaling. I want to be fully embedded in self-authorship so that the next phase of adult development can come about . . . Self-transforming. 

The Simplicity of Self-Authorship

As you may remember, part of the reason for this journal is that it acts as a vehicle for self-authorship. An opportunity for self investigation, to try and rise above, be less ego and group centered, and more community centered and open. To be more like water off a ducks back. 

I think what I’ve noticed is that the lines of simplicity of life and self authorship follow the same track. What I mean to say is that as self authorship goes up, complexity naturally goes down. I have a friend who when I met them seemed incredibly self-authored. I actually looked up to them for this. I was the squirrel who flashed after nuts or strange noises, they was the duck or actually the water off a duck’s back. But over time we switched. I became more duckish while they became a bigger squirrel than I ever had been. Now, the contrast, thanks to self-authorship, is even more stark. They are a mess in many different ways, and I am living with a greater and greater degree of simplicity. 

What does that mean? An example. . . .

I asked someone I work with to do something for me. I framed it both as a direct order and a personal favor to me. They went ahead and did the opposite of what I asked. For a brief moment I wondered what my boss would do to me if I had done to him what this person did to me. It would not have been a good meeting. Might have ended in firing. I considered that, but not really. 

How would going that route help me? Or that person? 

I realized the problem was really my own. I should never have made it a binary choice. I had done it to myself. Ultimately, it all didn’t matter, but I learned quickly, within that brief moment as I considered, I could get upset and fume and rail, or just accept what life threw at me with grace and a heart open to learning how to do a better job in the future. I picked option 2 much quicker in this instance than I ever had before. 

It more than any other time was a true moment of self-authorship. There was a choice between complexity and simplicity and the simple solution was much easier to accept ultimately, allowed for a learning opportunity for me, and in the end, because what could have gone wrong didn’t, none of it really mattered. 

I often think about that friend and the complexity that they allowed in their life, the way that they became a squirrel. I wonder now if they were never the duck I thought, but rather just a great actor. Someone who could pretend to live the life of a duck, but ultimately was the squirrel that they always tended to make fun of. 

I’ll say this, about this episode with this person at work. My “enlightenment” (such as it is), our relationship, and our future is far more positive because of my duckishness. A squirrel who might rail and scream and huff and puff or be insulted and upset without learning that they put themselves into that position through their actions would ultimately have a more difficult life. That line of simplicity would have gone up on the graph to become more complex. By adopting a self-authored approach the line continues to move toward simplicity and positivity. 

The squirrel is out there being squirrely and their life is more complex than it needs to be. I hope they come back around to being the duck they think they can be. It’s a much more easy and simple life as a duck than a squirrel. 

Self Authored Media

I was thinking about self authorship in terms of reporters and the news media. I heard a quote from Sebastian Unger's about what makes a reporter. He is a war correspondent and the author of a Perfect Storm. The quote, which I can’t find a direct quote of, was something to the effect of “a reporter someone who is willing to have his opinions and worldview destroyed by the facts.”

It basically means that facts outweigh opinion. 

More Red Teaming or Weekly Roundup of Thoughts

I think I've used that title before, the problem is, when I post from my Self-Authorship, Red Team Journal . . . I can't think of a better title. Maybe round up of thoughts?

What have I written (posted here or not) that helps me move toward self-authorship. I think about "ill-structured problems." That was more than anything else an epiphany for me, especially when I thought about "ill-structured people" (see HERE).

I get that there are problems out there that aren't meant to be solved, that self-authorship means accepting that these exist and being able to deal with them. But I think about those people who I think of as ill-structured people and the amount of emotion that goes along with my frustrations of dealing with them. 

King and Siddiqui in Hoare write "the self-authorship construct explicitly acknowledges the role of emotions and affective reactions in the ways individuals construct their responses to situations."

So often in my life emotion has NOT been a big part of my life. Infact I've tried hard to suprress emotions. I've always considered that maybe the emotions I'm feeling now were pent up emotions that blew up and out. Now I wonder if it's more to do with my thinking that emotions and expressing emotions as a part of my problem solving is a part of my development. 

In Sinnott's The Relationship of Postformal Thought, Adult Learning, and Lifespan Development, the author writes, "The thinker must learn there are multiple "true" views of realities. This means that more information about the complexity of a situation must be offered to the thinker." Then he writes "Problem solvers shown another person's solution to the problem they are working on, a solution different from theirs, learn to shift their realities to become more "multi-reality oriented."

The next thing to consider is William Perry's scheme of intellectual and ethical development. He writes about Relativism: 

"Here the individual is rudely thrust into a place where s(he) must be autonomous, where the authorities can no longer be counted on to provide any answers that are worthwhile. For every "truth" there is an opposite but equally valid "truth" -  but no way to bring them together. A deep feeling of loss, bewilderment, betrayal, and even rage can erupt, nothing has meaning."

I wonder if "multi-reality oriented is the next thing I should look at. 

Self Authorship Between Groups

At work, self-authorship is easy. What do I mean by this? I mean the ability to see other sides of issues, the opportunity to see multiple perspectives and gain understanding, the chance to understand challenges rather than deal with them and be overwhelmed by them. 

At work, this has become somewhat regular. Kegan's and Baxter Magolda defined self-authorship as "the internal capacity to define one's beliefs, identity, and social relations"  . . . in this case it is distinct from the socialized mind, the one where groups and herds dominate. Self-authorship is the ability to know our own beliefs and not allow them to change based on these challenges. 

Another Chance to Self-Author

 I hit a moment the other day . . . a true test of my self-authorship journey. Remember, self-authorship is defined by among other things an ability to see others' perspectives, to be able to understand. Well, the other day, I was not "understanding" in any way . . . I was livid!

Why?

Worry and Self-Authorship

I ran across this thread on how to deal with stress by a Twitter user. I don't know exactly how this deals with self-authorship, but it made me consider the nature of stress and the stress we put on ourselves.

1. Drop your shoulders and allow a subtle smile to ease through.
2. Understand this: stress is man-made. It is a label, a concept. You made it up. Yes, you. Yes, you did. You’re not ‘stressed.’ You’re feeling the buzz of energy that arises when you think scary thoughts.
3. That’s your doing. Do you see that? Your thoughts have such power that they literally create your emotions and your reality.
4. You don’t even need to think 'positive.' That’s a waste of energy and makes you more self-conscious. Just relax and let go to what’s in front of you.
5. Do it now. Look around you now. See how everything is fresh, without critical judgment. That’s a good thing. You’re creating everything. You are the designer.
6. Write down your top three ‘causes’ of stress. Then write down the one best solution that applies to each. Good. Now, For each solution, write down one next tiny step towards handling it. Now your stress is on paper, out of mind. And you know what to do next.
7. Sit for a moment, and watch all the sensations in your body now. Feel the tightness in your chest or the pressure in your belly. Observe it openly and do it until you feel a shift.
8. As you watch, you may see the pressure easing. The sensation was replaced with a tingling. Your awareness is like a bright torch that can melt away strain. It’s at your disposal whenever you need it.
9. Lastly, I want you to try this one thing today: Find someone, anyone, and thank them. Don’t do it with any expectations attached. Just be thankful for another human.
10. To take the lead, To connect, To forget about you: That’s the ultimate cure for ‘stress.’ 

I really like number 4. "Just relax and let go to what's in front of you."

I remember when I went to a private school as a kid, stress was a constant. It got so bad my mother took me to a psychiatrist who prescribed my going to a different school. He felt the environment was too stressful, among many other things. 

As a child, I read a ton. A ton ton. I would get in trouble for reading so much. I went through a fantasy phase and there was one book that hit me in what the author wrote about the main character. I don't remember it precisely, but it went something like: "What's the point of worrying, focus on what's in front of you, and that alone. Block out everything else and just do that one thing as best as you can. Then once it's through, move on to the next." I don't know why, but that helped me as a kid. 

Another one that helped me was something that Dick Francis wrote about stress and worry. "What's the point of worrying if something happens. If it happens and you were worried about it, then your worry was a waste of time and energy. If it doesn't happen, then again, what's the point of that wasted time and energy for something that didn't happen anyway."

Again, I don't know how this helps with my self-authorship journaling, but it hit me and resonated with me. Got to remember it and practice it once I get stressed again. 

Different Styles

A few weeks back I wrote about how frustrating it is to work with some folks. I have these types at work, and we just do NOT see eye to eye and it gets VERY frustrating. I think I wrote how I’ll sure that these people get frustrated trying to work with me too. I move too fast. I’m a “pace setting” type of leader and very independent and practical. I come up with an idea and just do. It’s Sua Sponte Leadership (see more HERE). 

But today, as a part of my self-authorship journal, I wrote a long post about this frustration. Just the other day, I had an idea to do a quick study of how our learners change their mindset (or not) about some of our training. Two of my employees have proposed this and it’s a great idea. I’m already thinking about how to go about capturing and analyzing the data. 

Being a good sport, I decided to bring this up to other leaders at the organization. What started as a one to one quick discussion became a larger and longer conversation than I wanted. And when I mentioned my intent about the study, the response was “Sure, let’s get everyone together for a meeting to discuss.”

So, first, I have no intention of “getting everyone together” for a meeting. I don’t have time for that, and truthfully, I don’t really care about their input. If they want to perform a study, they can feel free. But this study is going forward without the input of a much larger group. There isn’t a big enough risk to need more input from a larger group. 

Secondly, it irritates me some times that I’m here making a decision, sua sponte, right? And this other leader needs to build consensus even for something as small as this. 

What’s this have to do with self-authorship? Well, I realized that this isn’t done on purpose. It’s natural for me to move forward out front and set the pace and go. If it fails, it’s not that big a risk. If it yields valuable information and data, then good job team! No need for more than a quick strike group and an idea. We have both. What’s the hold up. 

Regardless, that’s natural to me, but consensus building is natural for this other leader. I shouldn’t expect them to not build consensus. That’s what they do. They see the world through consensus in the same way I see the world through sua sponte. 

What’s the end result? Well, I’m moving forward. If they want a consensus and a meeting, well they better hurry, the pace is being set. But, in terms of self authorship it was nice to realize it’s not being done to be a jerk, nor to get in the way, nor even as spite or a power play. It’s just what this person does. It’s how they see the world. What did I expect? I knew this about them. Adapt, adjust, overcome and go set the pace. 

Binary Loop

Got into a bit of an early morning tiff with Lawnee the other morning. My fault? Maybe. Hers? Could be, but looking back on it, it was mostly mine. I write (or try to write daily) in my self-authorship journal. This post really belongs there. 

We were discussing the class that I'm in that I am really not enjoying. I loved my class on Learning and the Brain. Figuring out how the brain processes and stores data, how it retrieves data, and how memory works in the short-term, mid-term, or long-term. That was a fun class. Or Adult Development. GREAT class. Loved learning about how adults grow, learn, and develop,l and what we should expect from learners. This class, is not at all fun. Critical Theory . . . or Critical Race Theory. BLECH.

Finding the Bridge from Self-Authoring to Interconnected

Robert Kegan's theory of self-evolution advanced the idea that adults moved along and through five stages of development and understanding each of which was more complex and built on experiences from the previous stages. Kegan answered in an interview, quoting from Ken Wilbur, that developmental growth should "transcend but include prior logic" (Fuller, 2019), meaning that adults should use their beliefs, perspectives, logic, and thoughts as a framework or springboard from which they can move to the next stage, and their beliefs, perspectives, logic, and thoughts should become more complex, but still have the foundation of their previous set of beliefs. These five stages from simplest to most complex included: Stage 1 - Impulsive Mind, Stage 2 - Imperial or Instrumental Mind, Stage 3 - Socialized Mind, Stage 4 - Self Authoring Mind and Stage 5 - Self Transforming Mind. Having read several overviews of the different stages and compared the characteristics of each stage to my own life and career, I feel confident in writing that I am enjoying the 4th Stage - Self Authoring Mind.

Stage 4 - Self Authoring Mind is characterized by, among many things, the ability to "develop an internal sense of direction and the capacity to create and follow our own course" (Morad, 2017) as well as the realization that "we’re always changing, that who we are is something that we can still negotiate" (Morad, 2017). Throughout my career as a Director of Training beginning in 2010, I gradually built up more and more sense of the ability to physically create courses, quite literally, for my organization. This literal expression helped bridge my understanding from Stage 3 - Socialized Mind, where I focused more on external voices to help shape my world, to one where I was the shaper of my own world, destiny, future, and success. This "course creation" played out in that same time in my social and personal life in terms of buying a larger house and moving to a new area but staying in the same city, establishing new friends, but keeping the old, starting a new job, and continuing to grow in my development of my understanding of my role in the petrochemical and oil refining industry. Prior to this moment, I had jumped from job to job, moving from software development to retail, construction, and technology. This transition, however, was marked by my accepting a position back at a company I had worked for previously in the industrial services sector. I pledged to myself that I was through job hopping and allowed myself the opportunity to firmly set down roots. After having five different jobs in two and a half years, I was ready to invest in, and make a difference in, one industry rather than continuing to jump from one opportunity to another and skip from industry to industry. Developmental transition and growth comes with loss and new perspectives can make adults less comfortable and are hard to make (Coughlin, 2014, p. 21). Leaving behind the waywardness of my career, a track where I allowed the river of life to shunt me where it might and into whichever job or industry popped up, and instead planting a stake in the ground in the industrial services industry was a part of my development from having a socialized mind to self-authoring mind. By doing this I provided myself an internal locus of control.



Additionally, a Stage 4 - Self-Authoring mind is characterized, by the ability to "see larger and more complex systems without being overwhelmed by them" (Coughlin, 2014, p. 23) and the ability to "readily take on, the perspectives of others" (Coughlin, 2014, p. 23). As a part of my new organization in the petrochemical and oil refining industry, I am a part of our Executive Leadership Team and help our managers and directors understand the systems in place both within our organization and outside our organization. These systems include the psychological perceptions of our clients, the training needs of our members, the value of effectively transferring learning to trainees, and the interconnectivity of our departments. Part of the mentorship I provide to the entire organization includes the ability to see our work from the client's, employee's, potential member's, and competitor's perspectives, while weaving all of that into our work plan to help ensure we move in a positive direction.



Having read and watched the information in the reference list following, the question of whether or not, or if I can find a bridge to a Stage 5 - Self Transforming mind comes up. Stage 5 - Self-Transforming or Interconnected mind "unlike the self-authoring mind, is not a prisoner of its own beliefs or position. It is open to the ideas of others and if they make sense it can readily integrate them into a more inclusive worldview" (Let's Talk, 2017). Additionally, this mindset has the ability to see "systems of which they are a part to form an understanding" of interconnectivity (Evans, et al, 2010). My grandfather, an entrepreneur who started the first privately owned rocket company to compete with NASA in the 1980s, and who developed a mobile learning system with computers to provide GED's to plant workers from reconditioned, mobile recreational vehicles (RVs), is the closest person to me who clearly inhabited a Stage 5 – Self-Transforming or Interconnected mindset. He constantly strived to find ways to better humanity through his entrepreneurship and charity. This mindset is "similar to the Buddhist concept of an evolving self" (Morad, 2017) or self-actualization. Just as there was developmental pain in moving from one stage to the next with my move between several different careers, and a bridge in the form of returning to my old organization and embracing the work, I should look for that part of myself which is more expansive and allow it to help create a bridge to the next stage (Coughlin, 2014, p. 24). Even if there could be turbulence from the difficulties of transition as Coughlin describes occurring with each transition, finding a bridge to become more like my grandfather who, within his own systems and within his own community was a change maker and visionary, would be worth the effort.



Coughlin, C. (2015). Developmental Coaching to Support the Transition to Self-Authorship. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. Wiley. Retrieved from https://www.cultivatingleadership.com/site/uploads/coughlin-Developmental-Coaching-to-Support-the-Transition-to-Self-Authorship-Dec-2015-.pdf



Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Development of Self-Authorship in the book, Student Development in College, Theory, Research, and Practice. Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/1110



Fuller, D. (2019). Robert Kegan: The Evolution of the Self. Rebel Wisdom. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhRNMj6UNYY



Johnson, C. (2014). Robert Kegan's Five Stages of Development. Retrieved from https://prezi.com/lbmi4tx2kqeq/kegans-5-stages-of-development/

Let's Talk. (2017). How to Motivate Employees: The Self Transforming Mind. Retrieved from https://lets-talk-more.com/self-transforming-mind/



Morad, N. (2017). Part 1: How to be an Adult – Kegan's Theory of Adult Development. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@NataliMorad/how-to-be-an-adult-kegans-theory-of-adult-development-d63f4311b553



Possert, J. (2017). The Three Most Relevant Stages of Human Development in the Modernized World. Library of Concepts; a Compilation of Models. Retrieved from https://libraryofconcepts.wordpress.com/2017/10/29/three-most-relevant-stages-of-human-development-nowadays-kegan-13/



Scharmer, C. O. (2000). Grabbing the Tiger by the Tail; Conversation with Robert Kegan. Presencing Institute. Retrieved from https://www.presencing.org/assets/images/aboutus/theory-u/leadership-interview/doc_kegan-1999.pdf

Trouser Man and Unsung Heroes

 Sometimes I struggle with these self-authorship posts. Why? Cause I’m not thoughtful about self-authorship,  . . . Well no. Mostly because I’ll think of something and forget it by the time I get around to having the time to write about it. Yesterday, I was on a jog, had a great idea, but this morning I can’t remember it at all!

So, I’m writing this one down right now. 

Transformative and Transformational Leadership

 My colleague and classmate Margie wrote about leadership the other day and we had a chance to chat about it. There were two things that came to mind when I read her post. The first is that transformative learning and how it "fosters a critical change in an individual's meaning structures."

We have been hosting leadership training for many years and across the board the students wrote reviews that expressed how fundamentally eye-opening and life-changing the training course was to them.

It was only after learning more about Mezirow's theories on transformative learning that I realized we had without trying to create the framework and structure needed to support a transformative learning moment for the learners. How many other courses are like this or how many other leaders do this without really knowing that they are?

Additionally, the second thing I think about is what you wrote about reflective journaling. In a recent class I took on Adult Learning and Adult Development with Dr. Fishback we were introduced to an Army Tradoc class by one of the developers. 

A class called Red Teaming. In this instance, it is a class that is in some ways designed as a series of exercises designed to help military leaders move closer toward self-authorship in their adult development journey. One of the first exercises is to start a "Red Team Journal" dedicated to self-authorship. I've been keeping this journal for months now and as a reflective learning practice can't be beaten. 

As with the above, where I plan to update our leadership training to include more on social capital, I am also going to be promoting more journaling. 

Hypocrisy and Self Authorship

I would like to do some research on self authorship and hypocrisy. I think I know what the answer would be, but it’s pretty interesting to look around at the world today and see the different things that are happening and how different people react to it. 

For one, it shows me just how prevalent the “socialized” mindset is in society. What do I mean? I mean, I think, that I believe the socialized mindset is is one that is characterized by getting along with and going along with the crowd. There’s a lot of that in politics, going along with the crowd, and that’s where I see most of the hypocrisy displayed. 

More Self Authorship at Work

I'm in the midst of a bit of a challenge at work. My last challenge was one that dealt with my transition from PhD candidate to PhD graduate (or will graduate in May, 2024). It's funny to have so much purpose pulled away so suddenly. I think I'm beginning to understand my purpose again, so I'm wading through that. 

But,  . . . and this is in terms of self-authorship . . . this new challenge is internal to my organization. So, Cami, who is not extremely well-liked by the organization, . . .well she just got promoted over every other person on the executive leadership team. So we are all VP's, and Cami was as well. Now, Cami is a senior VP. 

Inflection Point

I find myself at an inflection point so it seems to be a perfect time to re-dedicate myself to writing in this self authorship journal. This is a journal just for me now as there is no way for the public eye to see it. Maybe one day I’ll open it up? Or perhaps I’ll take all the “self authorship” tagged posts and compile them, but for now, locked down. 

Why an inflection point? I think the end of my PhD journey has hit me with a bit of a back hand. What I mean by that is that for the past four years I was so dedicated to sprinting toward the finish line that I never considered what might happen when I hit the finish line tape. I feel like I’m lost. No purpose. No meaning. Not sure of where I stand at work at all, and a bit awash at home too. 

FUTR

I had a friend a while back who when we first met warned me that they liked to "fly under the radar." When I heard this I thought that they were just saying that as a part of the personality, but when we talked, wrote, or met, there was no flying under the radar, for either of us.

I say for either of us because although I might not use that idiom, it certainly applies to me. I am very much someone who has to be forced into the limelight, I do not naturally seek that attention out.  

Combinatory Life

I heard from a new “friend” on Goodreads - a site I don’t visit or add posts to half enough as I probably should. But this new friend, ShapeOfAFlyingDeer (maybe she’s a super friends fan!), brought up a review I did of the Eighth Commandment (see HERE). I love that book. I just re-read it this past summer. In that review that I posted on Goodreads, I have a long passage from the end of the book that I remember reading this summer and thinking it was gold. Glad to see I was consistent. 

Regardless, ShapeOfAFlyingDeer actually commented about Lawrence Sanders. She said, “he’s a master of combinatory life.” Those of you who follow this blog religiously will know I’ve been journaling to help with self-authorship (see HERE). More understanding of the “combinatory life” is probably needed as a part of that journal effort. So thanks for the assistance ShapeOfAFlyingDeer!

What is a combinatory life? Why would it fall into this framework of self-authorship? 

Let’s start with a definition. The first definition for this, which I found by looking up “combinatory play” is: 

Combinatory play is the act of opening up one mental channel by dabbling in another. Albert Einstein, the greatest scientist of the Twentieth Century. He developed the theory of relativity and was also a noted humanitarian. He considered it “the essential feature in productive thought”.

Another I found is:

Combinatory play is the process of considering two or more unrelated ideas, topics, images, disciplines, etc. and putting them together in a way that is new.

And finally, I found this one which includes examples:

Another example is how Archimedes figured out buoyancy while taking a bath. That is combinatory play: the ability to allow your inner genius to step in and fill in the blanks. This is inherent in all of us. As creative thinkers, we often practice combinatory play to generate original ideas.

So, what’s that mean? What’s that have to do with Sanders? There’s a lot to work with here, but if we focus just on Sanders I see that most of Sanders’ main characters, the detectives, are generally not typical police detectives. Sure, sure, Edward X Delaney is (Gosh, I love the Edward X Delaney series, that will be the next one I read during a break from school). But McNally? Todd? These are representative of his characters and generally, they are not true to form Mickey Spillane/ Mike Hammer type, detectives. 

It’s the same thing I try to do, and the same characteristics of the hero I model from Dick Francis novels. The detective hero isn’t a detective generally, they are regular people pressed into this job from the circumstances. Usually, it’s the other characteristics of their lives that help them figure out the mystery and come through in the end. 

In Dick Francis’ novels, usually, it’s their toughness from their time as jockeys. For Sanders’ novels, it’s their lifestyle and joie de vivre. In my case, it’s the character’s background in the military or their capabilities in fitness and health or workouts (I know, I know, I’m working on expanding that and making it stronger as themes go). 

Regardless, the combinatory life and combinatory play are intriguing and truthfully I’d never heard of it before. I’m thankful that ShapeOfAFlyingDeer brought it up to me. I look forward to it being a bigger part of my pursuits in my self-auth

Airport Fashionisto

I am traveling a lot again. It’s fun to get back to travel after Covid. Prior to the pandemic, I think I was traveling 25%-45% of the time. Before that, when I worked at HydrochemPSC and PSC I was easily traveling 50%. When I traveled before, with PSC, it was all for fun. If I wanted to go somewhere and train I went. Sure, I always found myself near a refinery, but I went to the Bay Area a ton, LA, Chicago, New Jersey, Tennessee, just about anywhere we had a branch and I could go. 

With HASC, I traveled less and for different reasons. I didn’t travel as much for training, but much more for conferences, and sales. Now, I think training is about 30% of my travel time. But, I found that I missed travel during Covid. It’s good to have it back. 

Don't Foreign Policy

 Most of my political thoughts, go to this blog. Some of them are about self-authorship. Some of them are. I don't know if this one is about self-authorship, but it is definitely a political post.

I just heard a compilation of the Biden ministration's message to Iran regarding the October 7 attacks on Israel. And primarily the keyword is Don't. 

Taking a Break (and Breaking Apart)

Loyal readers might notice that a very large subset of information on this blog is gone. Poof! 

Yep, I split the old blog up. There is now a NEW blog on just adult education posts and self-authorship journal entries. Why? Well, it’s a bit of mix isn’t it? I started posting on adult ed stuff here just so I had some place to put all the junk I was writing. Now that I’m done with my dissertation, I think it deserves it’s own place. So there ya have it. Wander over to the new blog if you like the adult ed posts. This one will go back to just writing and reading nonsense. - this is the “break apart” aspect of the title. 

What about the taking a break aspect?