Jim Wright’s Secrets of Living Right

Jim Wright is a great believer in not being right. One example he cites is that the world of academia and education in which he operates comprises some academics who ‘need to be right’. Being right means you can only come from one position – teach like this, be like this. How about if you say “Let’s not look at what’s right, let’s look at what feels right”.

“Getting rid of being right creates space – when you’ve got space you’ve got nothing. And when you start from nothing anything is possible. You’re no longer constrained by having to be right or wrong.”

According to Jim, we spend all our lives living according to ‘the script’. The script is the conditioning you inherit – it could be cultural, family script, professional, school, teachers – all these people and factors that influence your life. “Another word for it is ‘the negative voice in your head’. The script uses words like ‘could, should, would’. I should behave like this. Or “I should have done this or that. It loves to use “what if” or “if only”. “Let’s say someone wanted to give up a career to follow their passion to be an artist. The heart says I should create beautiful works of art. My script, though, tells me otherwise.”

“When you’re a child you don’t have a preconception or judgement regarding other people, it’s your conditioning that affects you. But your personality is you, not your conditioning. People might say I can’t become an artist because I have no confidence. But if that’s your passion and you can ignore the negative ‘script’ and the conditioning you underwent from friends or parents, you can go ahead and do it.”

Jim has a chronic kidney and blood disease that killed him at one point (he luckily came back to life). People who undergo this often become their illness. It’s a dramatic event. Dramatic events that happen to you are not you. We can spend our whole lives saying “I am a victim of abuse”. But that’s not you, just an episode in your life.

“If you look at your true self you can succeed, rather than re-live the things that have happened to you.”

“I was bullied at school, and I’m not a bullied person. I am me. My script does not define who I am. You learn to carry it with you, or beware of it. I can’t unbully myself. My recollection of being bullied is my understanding, my point of view. We attach meaning and interpretation to our experience, and the script tells us to turn these into negative conclusions. If I can separate the events from the meanings I attach to them, I can have a life. A great life. Not merely being “nearly alive”.”

“When I awoke from near death I saw my watch on the side. Its value was not going to change my life. What you own does not help you when you’re dying in the hospital. People in dire situations shout out about the things they haven’t done. When you do get the wake up call, the message is “Please don’t wait until you’re nearly dying to realise you need to start living!”

“The important thing of Pilgrims (his teacher education company) is that we don’t just concentrate on teaching techniques. We look at who are you being as a teacher. You should be who you deserve to be. You deserve to feel good. If you want your kids to feel motivated, all the teaching techniques, the creative methods aren’t going to work. The students connect to who you are, not just the methods. If you aren’t there, they won’t be either.””

“The original definition of education is to lead out not to fill up students’ heads, but rather to lead them to knowledge, to inspire them. We don’t talk about students, we call them researchers. Collect the language, enjoy the language, it’s a beautiful journey of discovery.”

“You don’t need teachers to teach information today, the role of the teacher is to inspire people to be hungry for knowledge and experiences”

“You have to live what you say. We each have to be our own brand. People buy into a personal brand. If you can’t transform and inspire yourself, it’s not going to work. Each day is a new opportunity to be better than the day before. I can create it. Bad things might happen, it’s how you deal with them. You have to take responsibility. You might have heard a great talk, an excellent suggestion,  but if you don’t work at it, it’s just a bunch of words.”

“If we spend two minutes a day doing a bodily chore (like brushing your teeth) without thinking, then why can’t we spend two minutes choosing how we want to feel and clean all the crap thoughts away. If we keep our bodies in good condition, shouldn’t that include our mind and feelings as well?”

“Bad things can happen, but you can still have a great day. If you decide that you deserve a great day, then just make sure that your feelings are in sync, and enjoy it. ”