Stuck in Your Head and Heart

On a Saturday afternoon, on a whim, I went to see “La La Land“. When the previews first came out, I was excited, but the more I heard about it, the less I actually wanted to go. As the movie started, I thought the beginning was okay, but all of a sudden, I was swept up in it. Ryan Gosling, my new man-crush, was awesome in it, and Emma Stone was also quite amazing.

It is not the best movie I have ever seen in my life, but I was smiling throughout (and a few tears here and there). Since I went to see it, I have been listening to the soundtrack (non-stop), and I can’t stop thinking about the movie. Don’t take this as a review, but I did love it.

How often do we create learning experiences that stick with the learners for days or even weeks after Something that sticks with them and can’t get out of their head? A workshop on “tools” isn’t going to do that; helping people understand something truly compelling will.

Like any movie, that same “stickiness” will not stay with everyone after. We all have our different tastes and preferences, but it is the pursuit of creating something that resonates with people that is truly noble.

When I think about the learning experiences that I create for others, I have a goal for each day, and the words are attributed to the late, great, Jim Valvano; laugh, cry, think. If that happens in a day, the “stickiness” is more likely to happen, and you are more likely to think about the day and embrace wonder long after the day. The hope is that a light bulb goes off, but to do that, you must connect to the heart, not only the mind. People will have to feel something, not just be stretched in their thinking.

Like the great song that gets stuck in your head, or the movie you can’t get out of your mind, it would be a noble pursuit to create learning experiences that are stuck on “repeat” in someone’s heart and thoughts. This is how you not only turn on that light, but make sure it only brightens with time.


Source: George Couros