[ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ]
Greetings once again fellow entrepreneur, it’s with great pleasure that I introduce you to Clinton Swaine, who inspired this second article in the Creative Visionary series (the first being Marcin Jacubowski).
Just to jog your memory, this series is designed to inspire you with examples of living individuals who are contributing in extraordinary ways and remind you that your dreams are worth following, no matter what.
Clinton is a world leader and authority on using structured games and play for adult education and learning. Throughout this article, I’ll spell out why this work has such a profound impact in the lives of those who encounter it, but just to set the scene, let’s begin with one of my favorite quotes from Plato;
You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.
Clinton’s work immerses people in a highly accelerated learning environment that gifts them with exactly what our dear friend Plato is talking about. Through engaging in strategically designed and structured games, you learn a lot more about yourself and what you need in order to succeed in any area of your life.
My regular readers will have heard me celebrating the power of play in our lives, so when I encountered Clinton’s work, he immediately skyrocketed to the top of the list and even bumped Sir Ken Robinson, an all time favorite of mine, from his place in this week’s article. (Don’t worry Sir Ken fans, he’s coming next.)
How To Turbo Charge Your Ability To Learn
So, why is play so powerful and why is it such an integral part of accelerated learning?
As Clinton says,
When you play, you’re engaging your whole body as well as your whole brain. By learning through games, you’re drilling skills and learning in simulated real life scenarios. This means you create strong neural pathways that get real life results for you much faster than any of the traditional conceptual learning methods currently used in children’s or adult education.
But you don’t have to just take our word for how powerful play is for developing your potential. Dr. Stuart Brown is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, clinical researcher and published author who has dedicated his entire life to studying play behavior in humans.
Throughout his lifetime of research, Dr. Brown has found play to be vital to our overall health and well being as individuals and societies; he’s even created his own Institute for Play.
Dr Brown initially began studying play as a result of his clinical research of homicidal young males that uncovered the serious consequences of a life devoid of play. When we neglect play in our lives, our mental, emotional and spiritual growth can be drastically retarded.
Are You An Intellectual Property Juggernaut?
Are you beginning to get just how important play is? Clinton Swaine is the only person I’ve encountered who utilizes the most accelerated learning tools we have – games and play, to create courses (21 and counting) for adults to empower them to access and express their true potential.
A self-confessed “Intellectual Property Juggernaut” Clinton envisages he will continue creating and refining as many as 30 to 45 courses in games based learning. He’s also a living, breathing example of a polymath. If you’re not sure what this is, it’s someone whose expertise spans a significant number of different subjects. Examples of well known polymaths include Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Francis Bacon to name a few.
Clinton researches, writes (books and songs), designs games based training and education and shares his knowledge with people around the world, and if you want to be even more surprised, ask him about his Olympic-level gymnastic training 🙂 .
The Secret To Becoming A Genius
It’s not just the content and delivery of Clinton’s trainings that have a powerful impact in the lives of people across the globe. Being able to observe and become aware of someone who breaks commonly held misconceptions we have about the limits of human potential is inspiring and paradigm shifting in itself.
Clinton spoke about his research into the lives of genius. He explained that all the people who have become brilliant have put thousands upon thousands of hours into training. No one masters anything without putting in the years required to reach a level of mastery. But you can accelerate your learning curve if you use the right tools.
Clinton’s contribution will affect the lives of generations to come because he not only creates shifts in the minds and lives of the adults who attend his trainings, children and families also attend courses. One of Clinton’s visions is to run kids trainings with his wife who is a special education teacher. These would be held in conjunction with the adult workshops and the two groups would join together for specific game scenarios to learn and integrate the information.
Are You Ready To Play Big?
I asked Clinton about the easiest way to access his trainings and where to begin as he has so many courses. He explained that the introductory course, “Play to Win” is the best place to start, and you can find out about it on his website www.frontiertrainings.com.
It runs in Melbourne (Australia), London (UK), and in San Diego (California), and here’s the best news yet – it’s FREE! Clinton offers his initial 3 day games based training completely free of charge because he believes this gives you the opportunity to try it out for yourself. If it gets you results and you like it, you can always decide to join him for his other courses.
I couldn’t fit in everything we discussed in the interview, so I really hope you listen to the podcast. Clinton is an outstanding example of a creative visionary who is changing the world through his work.
You can learn a lot from him, he has a global classroom and a global playground, and you’re invited to join him for some great fun and supercharged learning 🙂
Enjoy the episode,
Neroli
The Yaro Podcast
[ Download MP3 | iTunes | Soundcloud | Raw RSS ]
Thanks for this find Neroli. I haven’t listened to the podcast yet as I have a poor connection but I will come back and do that. The concept of learning through play is an interesting one, I suppose that is why Monopoly was so widely popular and has lasted through several generations. Lessons we learn through play tend to stay with us much longer than those learned in formal classroom environments. I can’t wait to listen to the interview. Thanks again!
Hi Sharon:) I used to be naughty & embezzle money from the monopoly bank when i was a kid! It’s a wonder my siblings never caught on!
Anyway, regarding play & turbo charging our learning, it’s something that has been neglected a lot in the education systems, it means children learn to follow orders and rules and lose their ability to think creatively. Play and creativity go hand in hand.
There are myriad benefits to play, it connects us to our most joyful self as well. Luckily, there’s a global movement afoot to reinstate play into the lives of people of all ages:)
Thanks for checking out the aritcle & leaving a comment, cheers 😉 neroli
I believe in playing*! The enthusiasm in the interview is a perfect example of the shift in consciousness that occurs when people approach an activity in this mind state. Thank You Neroli & Clinton.
Hey Kara 😉 How’s it going? Hope you had a great Christmas & 2012 is looking amazing for you. Clinton’s an amazing character (he plays many actually) to learn form and be around, glad you picked up how vibe-y he is in the podcast! Cheers, neroli
HI Kara. It is an amazing environment. If you like to play and learn at the same time there is nothing like this on the planet and I am blessed as I watch people grow so quickly. Come and join us!
you know as adults we can learn so much from children……and learning through playing is a great, because we can now concentrate on what we are doing and when we put our brain cells to work, it has no choice but to be remembered…
this is a great site i will visit more often
HI Tanisha. I believe if we build our environment around us quickly we can maintain the same speed of information being absorbed as we did when we were children. There are new studies coming out about keys to skill building and the nutrients we need to assist in that process. Come along and join us.
Thanks for checking out the article Tanisha – there is SO much value in learning through play. Children have the most accelerated learning and we would do well to follow their lead in this…Child’s play is so much more than a frivolous pass-time, play holds the keys to some of our greatest gifts 🙂 cheers, neroli
Can we really call it “genius” if we acknowledge that “all the people who have become brilliant have put thousands upon thousands of hours into training.” Isn’t that just called “hard work”?
Good point Barbara, I’ve never thought about that…maybe there is a distinction there…I’m not 100% sure of this…I would generally say someone who expresses genius shows extraordinary creative and innovative gifts…I don’t know if just hard work will cause this to happen, Clinton might though…very good question to raise though!
I think he touched on something in another comment that is actually quite relevant to genius…in order to reach those levels of giftedness, a very holistic approach is needed, diet plays a distinct role. Many of the people we call genius were very particular about the food they ate and how they consumed it.
Cheers, neroli
I think this is a simple generalisation, presented as fact. Simply not true, perhaps more to the point would be how ‘genius’s’ are over examined and their every move considered as if we can be like them, by acting like them, a ridiculous concept. I mean if you got told that Einstein had twenty pancakes each morning, would that make you a maths whiz? Of course not, it’s a lazy idea..
We in the fat west, just want short cuts, so we spend all our time looking for a short cut to be a genius, whereas the genius’s spend all their time doing their work and avoiding short cuts. It’s really through the work, and the fact is most of us can’t be bothered.
We look with open mouths at people who dedicate their life to their subject, spending all their waking hours on their passion and then turn round and think..
“I wonder what they had for lunch?”
Hey rich, I research individuals who surpass ordinary achievements every day. What they eat actually does have a profound effect on their performance. Just as elite athletes research and follow a very specific diet tin order to be peak performers, so to do most people who achieve extraordinary levels of success. 2 of the most successful businessmen I know follow very specific diets and do fasts and cleanses regularly to maintain their energy systems at a high levels.
I’m also good friends with a special services commando, he fasts 36 hours of every week, and follows an extremely strict diet. He was one of the oldest serving commandos in his unit, and led a group of special services personel on various missions. Even though he should have had less strength and stamina than the younger commandos, he could actually outlast them. He attributed all of this to his attention to his diet and his fasting.
So, I’m not sure who you’re studying, but in case you have any desire to exceed everyday achievements, here are some more individuals who excelled and also followed very specific diets to aid in the acheivements…
Leonardo da Vinci
Lord Byron
Leo Tolstoy
Ghandi
George Bernard Shaw
Pythagoras
Albert Einstein
I think asking what they had for lunch might actually get you a step closer to genius than you have given them credit for 🙂
Beware of false prophets..
Clinton Swaine reads Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success and gets up on stage and claims his ideas as his own! He is simply representing the ideas of a very smart guy (Gladwell) and claiming them to be his own. And if that isn’t the case, why didn’t he name check him in the interview? Its pretty obvious really, especially considering the examples he gave were literally straight out of the book.. no independent subsequent further research or reading required. Not hugely impressed with him for this.
Hey rich, I checked out malcom’s website, there’s some really cool stuff on there, here it is for anyone who wants to check it out; http://www.gladwell.com/outliers/index.html
I don’t remember meeting you at the event, were you there? I didn’t see Clinton taking Malcom’s work and claiming it to be his own…Clinton creates play based trainings…
I checked all through Malcom’s site and couldn’t find a thing about play based education, so I think you’re a bit confused about this. He certainly refer’s to the ideas Malcom shares in his book in this interview, and you’re right, he doesn’t reference it. But Clinton’s work is very different to Malcom’s, I think you’re confused, one researches and writes about genius, the other researches genius and creates play based education….
Anyway, thanks for letting me know about Malcom’s site, it’s a great resource and i’ll be sure to use it in my own research, cheers, n
@Rich Pauls…As a very successful business woman and a very humane person ..I took part in Clinton’s day of games , learning…call it what you want..’genius’ …who cares where the man learnt to pass on his skills and help others to acquire their own ‘genius’ in whatever they may want in life….Who cares on how or from whom he has modelled/mentored his training . He has exceptional talent and is very very knowledgable…and a nice person at that…
Regardless of how or where the man mentored his own genius , regardless of my own arrogance that day and almost walking out, regardless that the Greeks gave you western civilisation.. gave you language that you could even have the gall and opportunity to comment ‘fat west’ here, .the man clearly taught me a BIG LESSON that day and in his defence..”Only a genius can do that”..Because I am one pretty smart woman in the sense I am ‘OPEN ‘ to listen , learn and not judge..!…Clinton would and has put hours of self learning/training to be where he is today…get a life..!!! We all learn from others and pass it down over the ages…read some history..! I did not invent what I do either, does that mean I am a false prophet ?? NO..! I learnt and gained the knowledge to pass on to this world my own gift…WE CANNOT DO THAT WITHOUT LEARNING FROM OTHERS..!
…As for false prophets…you clearly do not have what is needed to see beyond your own false claim above..!!! Neroli…’A genius has an open mind’ Clinton clearly has this as I recall …! The man has mastered and it takes more than shortcuts to become a ‘Clinton’ as per Rich’s comment..It takes true dedication…Clinton has those skills..If any person in this world can pass on and share some form of good, inspiration,create for a better world/person ..then he/she is a Genius..
Do not confuse the word..’GENIUS’ and it’s true meaning..Einstein world have no doubt studied from others too..! After all who do you think invented maths and physics in the first place??? get my point ?? and we call Einstein a genius,because he was dedicated..!!!
@barbara…Hardwork is hardly relevant..to genius and brilliant…take two people and train them for the same number of hours…talent comes naturally to those that are open in mind and heart…close minds…stay closed…an example…Why do people say “I Can’t do it ??? because they do not have the vision to see, they maybe do not have the confidence..then the other person clearly puts there hand up and says..”I can do it , I can do it”..they have no fear…Clinton has the ability to teach this nuturing of our own brilliance and help others to reach past ‘ I can’t do it’
Clinton taught me one of the biggest lesson’s in life through a game…that is enough to give the man the deserving credit for his work…
As for lunch…in today’s world…brilliance is connected to the nuturing of our stomachs…i.e our bodies…healthy bodies , have sharper minds..and that is a fact…
Lastly.
See that photo above…I watched Clinton take this person in the photo, with all his people skills, Clinton gave this person a day of gratitude and immense learning ..the man, Clinton , has humane attributes that are part of being genius..! .
Negativity in judging a person’s work is not genius in my books..we do not all have the ability to become a Clinton…but we do have the ablity to learn..
Neroli…nice interview.
Nice work Neroli..XX