In my first CFAR experience (which was an MSFP, fwiw), the phrase “It’s not about the exercises!” was kind of a motto. It was explained at the beginning that CFAR teaches exercises not because people learn the exercises and then go out and use the exercises, but rather, going through the exercises a few times changes how you think about things. (The story was that people often go to a CFAR workshop and then improve a bunch of things in their life, but say “but I haven’t been doing the exercises!”.)
I want to flag that this is not a universal attitude at CFAR.
CFAR workshops have long taught that “The point of the workshop is not the techniques”, but I, at least, have long been frustrated that almost no one actually uses the techniques, even though they provide a lot of value. It seems to me that folks sometimes use “the techniques are not the point” or the concept of “five second versions” as an excuse for not sitting down with paper to goal factor, or do IDC, or whatever, even though those mental processes are demonstrably useful for actually solving problems on the object level, and even getting at the mindset requires some dozens (at least) of mindful reps, which few people ever do.
Duncan once taught a mini-workshop where the moto was explicitly “People don’t use the tools they have”, and I’ve been trying to push a theme of something like “actually practice”, in CFAR’s recent instructor training, and with a new class on training regimes, for instance.
I want to flag that this is not a universal attitude at CFAR.
CFAR workshops have long taught that “The point of the workshop is not the techniques”, but I, at least, have long been frustrated that almost no one actually uses the techniques, even though they provide a lot of value. It seems to me that folks sometimes use “the techniques are not the point” or the concept of “five second versions” as an excuse for not sitting down with paper to goal factor, or do IDC, or whatever, even though those mental processes are demonstrably useful for actually solving problems on the object level, and even getting at the mindset requires some dozens (at least) of mindful reps, which few people ever do.
Duncan once taught a mini-workshop where the moto was explicitly “People don’t use the tools they have”, and I’ve been trying to push a theme of something like “actually practice”, in CFAR’s recent instructor training, and with a new class on training regimes, for instance.