I am in the process of applying to graduate school/teaching credential programs. I graduated almost two years ago with my BA so I feel like I’m out of the “school application” phase of my life. I wasn’t sure if I had graduated from this realm until, while filling out the online application, I kept uttering the words, “What?” “Seriously?” “What kind of question is this?” A friend of mine, who is still completing his undergraduate studies, just said to me, “What did you expect?” Clearly I have forgotten what it’s like to be a student.
There is so much confusion around going back to school. Is this the right choice for me? Is this really what I want to do? Is this the right school? The right program? Can I afford this? Does it matter? Will I be able to get a job teaching once I’m done? Believe me, the list goes on. But, in all of this I need to remember to go back to what I stand for. What kind of difference do I want to make in the world, and what do I need to do to make it happen? Thinking about this is the first step, and it’s an important – nay, indispensable – step, but the other (and more important) step is the DO part. I can sit here and drink my delicious coffee all morning (all my life, really) and THINK about what I want to do and what I stand for. The truth is, though, that I will never feel fulfilled until I start doing those things. What is standing in my way of getting in action? What stands in your way when you try to do the same?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
awesome students
I got to spend time with engaged, inspired, involved student leaders last weekend.
When I first entered the room I was really nervous and uncertain. In the hall there was the laughter and playfulness of a group of friends. It was such a familiar feeling. Wanting to be a part of the group. Being intimidated by the energy.
I always wonder if I belong. I always wonder if my message and ideas will be accepted. You all seem so cool. And I feel so uncool – welcome back to that feeling from my younger years…yuck.
It feels like I am standing on the edge of a raging river of nervousness and uncertainty.
But it never fails that as soon as I put one foot in the water you are there to help get across. That is who you are. In this case you were student leaders of college orientation programs. You are trained to be welcoming and engaging. But more importantly you are a young person who is energetic and engaged. It is awesome.
I admire you. Envy you. You are the ones who are courageous and who are looking to make a difference. The reasons you do what you do are many. Some of you had a person reach out you when you first arrived on campus so you want to give back that experience to someone else. Some are interested in leadership. Some love interacting with people. Some realize that it is a great way to meet people like yourself.
Here is one of my favorite stories from my experience:
On Friday night Dean Taylor gave a talk. He was a member of his middle school optimists club (years ago). He became the president. In his talk he acknowledged all the people working in orientation as essential in the work of optimism and possibility for students. These people, he said, take on a vital role in making a difference.
He wanted to pass along the presidency of the Optimists club and the way he did it was by giving someone overalls (the kind you wear). Not sure exactly why that symbolized the optimists club. But he gave them to Qasim from University of Alberta. And asked that he take on the leadership by wearing the overalls.
Now, most young people would flinch, hesitate, be embarrassed, and never put them on. But Saturday morning there was Qasim, overalls on taking on his symbolic role.
And this is the kind of young person that gives me hope. You care a great deal. You are learning. You want to make a difference and are willing to courageously put yourself out there in the world to figure out how to make it happen.
Thanks y’all. You (again) gave me hope and inspired me to keep forging ahead trying to find paths for you to thrive on.
When I first entered the room I was really nervous and uncertain. In the hall there was the laughter and playfulness of a group of friends. It was such a familiar feeling. Wanting to be a part of the group. Being intimidated by the energy.
I always wonder if I belong. I always wonder if my message and ideas will be accepted. You all seem so cool. And I feel so uncool – welcome back to that feeling from my younger years…yuck.
It feels like I am standing on the edge of a raging river of nervousness and uncertainty.
But it never fails that as soon as I put one foot in the water you are there to help get across. That is who you are. In this case you were student leaders of college orientation programs. You are trained to be welcoming and engaging. But more importantly you are a young person who is energetic and engaged. It is awesome.
I admire you. Envy you. You are the ones who are courageous and who are looking to make a difference. The reasons you do what you do are many. Some of you had a person reach out you when you first arrived on campus so you want to give back that experience to someone else. Some are interested in leadership. Some love interacting with people. Some realize that it is a great way to meet people like yourself.
Here is one of my favorite stories from my experience:
On Friday night Dean Taylor gave a talk. He was a member of his middle school optimists club (years ago). He became the president. In his talk he acknowledged all the people working in orientation as essential in the work of optimism and possibility for students. These people, he said, take on a vital role in making a difference.
He wanted to pass along the presidency of the Optimists club and the way he did it was by giving someone overalls (the kind you wear). Not sure exactly why that symbolized the optimists club. But he gave them to Qasim from University of Alberta. And asked that he take on the leadership by wearing the overalls.
Now, most young people would flinch, hesitate, be embarrassed, and never put them on. But Saturday morning there was Qasim, overalls on taking on his symbolic role.
And this is the kind of young person that gives me hope. You care a great deal. You are learning. You want to make a difference and are willing to courageously put yourself out there in the world to figure out how to make it happen.
Thanks y’all. You (again) gave me hope and inspired me to keep forging ahead trying to find paths for you to thrive on.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
2009 Grads...Yikes!
College seniors are scared. Worried. Uncertain. Even depressed.
The bad economy and lack of jobs comes on top of worries they have about the health of the environment and the lack of morality in our world today.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1882979,00.html?cnn=yes
They are thinking.
• Will I be able to get and find a job?
• Will I make enough money to survive?
• How am I going to pay off my student loans?
Along with
• Will my kids have a healthy world to live in?
• What about my dreams? Do I have to give them up?
If they are watching the mainstream media, they are getting barraged with all the stories of difficulty and ugliness. But there is another side of the challenges.
There is hope. There are possibilities. There are people doing amazing work in the world – more and more every day. Ironically, in this day and age when communication and access to information is exploding, it is hard to find them.
But people with ideas and a positive perspective are out there. Dan Pink is an example of the kind of thinker who can really help. Listen to this:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BiznikLive/2009/02/25/Interview-with-Dan-Pink-A-Whole-New-Mind-Why-Right-Brainers-Will-Rule-the-Future
When you begin to fill your brain with information that talks about what is possible instead of what is wrong or how bleak things are, amazing possibilities open up.
For more access to good stuff going on check out:
www.odemagazine.com
www.yesmagazine.org
The kind of people who will be successful in the future are the ones who are able to be in hard times and keep themselves moving forward. If you get swept up in the difficulty and give up it makes you even less appealing to a potential employer. In order to get hired (and then to stay employed) you will have to be ready to learn. You will have to be accountable, responsible, and creative. And probably most of all you will need to be an excellent listener. When you treat people with dignity and respect you will differentiate yourself from others.
The bad economy and lack of jobs comes on top of worries they have about the health of the environment and the lack of morality in our world today.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1882979,00.html?cnn=yes
They are thinking.
• Will I be able to get and find a job?
• Will I make enough money to survive?
• How am I going to pay off my student loans?
Along with
• Will my kids have a healthy world to live in?
• What about my dreams? Do I have to give them up?
If they are watching the mainstream media, they are getting barraged with all the stories of difficulty and ugliness. But there is another side of the challenges.
There is hope. There are possibilities. There are people doing amazing work in the world – more and more every day. Ironically, in this day and age when communication and access to information is exploding, it is hard to find them.
But people with ideas and a positive perspective are out there. Dan Pink is an example of the kind of thinker who can really help. Listen to this:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/BiznikLive/2009/02/25/Interview-with-Dan-Pink-A-Whole-New-Mind-Why-Right-Brainers-Will-Rule-the-Future
When you begin to fill your brain with information that talks about what is possible instead of what is wrong or how bleak things are, amazing possibilities open up.
For more access to good stuff going on check out:
www.odemagazine.com
www.yesmagazine.org
The kind of people who will be successful in the future are the ones who are able to be in hard times and keep themselves moving forward. If you get swept up in the difficulty and give up it makes you even less appealing to a potential employer. In order to get hired (and then to stay employed) you will have to be ready to learn. You will have to be accountable, responsible, and creative. And probably most of all you will need to be an excellent listener. When you treat people with dignity and respect you will differentiate yourself from others.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Feeling Funky
I have been feeling funky this week. Worried about making money. Doubting whether what I am offering is useful. Feeling the weight of the systemic economic and environmental challenges we face.
I was “on it”.
And while I kept moving forward by doing the little things – exercise, biking, being with the kids, hanging with friends, and sharing my ideas, I could not see how to get past it.
I even remembered a teacher of mine who said “it is not that I don’t get on it, but I am able to get off it way faster than you and others”. His perspective is that the way people find meaning and fulfillment is that they are able to get off it faster than others.
The idea was there, but I remained stuck.
And then I got an email from a friend – who was on vacation - about a radio interview he was doing with Dan Pink...on vacation? Dan Pink happens to be one of those people whose ideas get me inspired and engaged. So I listened to the show.
And the ice melted. The funky feeling began to fade. And my positive, powerful, inspired self emerged again.
I coach my clients that when they are feeling funky to get their Play Huge Notebook (where inspiring and powerful items are captured) and get themselves going again, but I had forgotten.
As soon as I began to fill up my brain with possibilities, ideas, and challenges the powerful part of me emerged again. Now, a day later the possibilities are flowing and I feel reconnected to my aliveness and drive to make a difference.
Now its time to capture how to help you and others awaken your spirit.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
I was “on it”.
And while I kept moving forward by doing the little things – exercise, biking, being with the kids, hanging with friends, and sharing my ideas, I could not see how to get past it.
I even remembered a teacher of mine who said “it is not that I don’t get on it, but I am able to get off it way faster than you and others”. His perspective is that the way people find meaning and fulfillment is that they are able to get off it faster than others.
The idea was there, but I remained stuck.
And then I got an email from a friend – who was on vacation - about a radio interview he was doing with Dan Pink...on vacation? Dan Pink happens to be one of those people whose ideas get me inspired and engaged. So I listened to the show.
And the ice melted. The funky feeling began to fade. And my positive, powerful, inspired self emerged again.
I coach my clients that when they are feeling funky to get their Play Huge Notebook (where inspiring and powerful items are captured) and get themselves going again, but I had forgotten.
As soon as I began to fill up my brain with possibilities, ideas, and challenges the powerful part of me emerged again. Now, a day later the possibilities are flowing and I feel reconnected to my aliveness and drive to make a difference.
Now its time to capture how to help you and others awaken your spirit.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Past the point to your edge
There is an exercise that I do in the morning. You hold your breath out and pump your stomach (it is great for digestion, energizing you, and maintaining the health of your internal organs…in case you care). Part of the idea is that you go past the point of panic.
Okay, so there you are holding your breath out and pumping your stomach. And soon arises a point of panic. You calm yourself and pump one more time. Where are you now?
At another point of panic, so now what? Go past the point of panic. Well, this is a point of panic. You calm again and pump yet again. And where does that get you?
At another point of panic. Calm. Pump. Panic. Calm. Pump. Panic.
And on it goes.
I was riding my bike up a hill the other day with my big kid on a ride along trailer and my little one (she is 5 and at least 40 lbs) in a pull along Burley trailer. Last week was the first time that we had gone up that hill and I was not feeling strong (and I was intimidated by the hill), but this week was different.
As we made our way I kept having the thought that I am tired and should slow down – a moment of surrender. But then I remember to keep asking myself “Am I willing to do one more? Yes.” And I kept going and moved past the first layer of resistance.
Then there was another moment of surrender. And the question, “one more? Yes” And I kept pushing. All the while these quotes from Lance Armstrong played in my head:
So I kept pushing. Pain is temporary. It’s a suffer fest and I like to suffer. I kept going. And got past another level of resistance.
And I had a realization while I was huffing and puffing; while my legs were burning; while I was sweating and sweating. My realization was that I will be successful in my life. I will have the impact on people’s lives that I dream about. And the reason is that I am willing to be in that challenging place and keep going. I think that I am really good at being uncomfortable and continuing to push forward. I get to the place where I am ready to give up and I go one more. Then another. And another.
And then I get inspired, excited, and stronger. And the questions that I ask myself shift from can I make it to How far can I push it? What will happen if I keep going? Is there a limit?
In this moment, I connect with what makes Lance Armstrong a world-class bike racer (and it makes me believe/hope that he is really not using performance enhancing drugs). I can see the look in his eye. I can feel the drive to push further than others. To be willing to do one more than the person next to you. To push yourself to that extreme limit.
It’s a fascinating place I look forward to exploring more.
Okay, so there you are holding your breath out and pumping your stomach. And soon arises a point of panic. You calm yourself and pump one more time. Where are you now?
At another point of panic, so now what? Go past the point of panic. Well, this is a point of panic. You calm again and pump yet again. And where does that get you?
At another point of panic. Calm. Pump. Panic. Calm. Pump. Panic.
And on it goes.
I was riding my bike up a hill the other day with my big kid on a ride along trailer and my little one (she is 5 and at least 40 lbs) in a pull along Burley trailer. Last week was the first time that we had gone up that hill and I was not feeling strong (and I was intimidated by the hill), but this week was different.
As we made our way I kept having the thought that I am tired and should slow down – a moment of surrender. But then I remember to keep asking myself “Am I willing to do one more? Yes.” And I kept going and moved past the first layer of resistance.
Then there was another moment of surrender. And the question, “one more? Yes” And I kept pushing. All the while these quotes from Lance Armstrong played in my head:
- “You get into the race and it's fast and guys are strong it's a suffer-fest. You suffer when you get to those moments."
- "I like to suffer, although it sounds weird.”
- “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
So I kept pushing. Pain is temporary. It’s a suffer fest and I like to suffer. I kept going. And got past another level of resistance.
And I had a realization while I was huffing and puffing; while my legs were burning; while I was sweating and sweating. My realization was that I will be successful in my life. I will have the impact on people’s lives that I dream about. And the reason is that I am willing to be in that challenging place and keep going. I think that I am really good at being uncomfortable and continuing to push forward. I get to the place where I am ready to give up and I go one more. Then another. And another.
And then I get inspired, excited, and stronger. And the questions that I ask myself shift from can I make it to How far can I push it? What will happen if I keep going? Is there a limit?
In this moment, I connect with what makes Lance Armstrong a world-class bike racer (and it makes me believe/hope that he is really not using performance enhancing drugs). I can see the look in his eye. I can feel the drive to push further than others. To be willing to do one more than the person next to you. To push yourself to that extreme limit.
It’s a fascinating place I look forward to exploring more.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Losing
My little boy is 7 years old. He loves sports. He does not like losing.
I am not the first to trumpet the virtues of learning to lose, but I will add myself to the voices of parents who think that it is important.
I lost the first hockey game I ever played in 30 – 0. Everyone that I still know from that team remembers. And we all also remember that we did not win a game that whole year. We lost 26 – 2, 10 – 0 (many times), 13 – 3, and so on and so on.
But we won some games the next year and while we were never good, we got better.
I coach little league baseball. We do not keep score. I can guess at the reason, but do not know for sure. I think that we are doing a disservice to the kids (and probably the parents).
I am a pacifist. I care deeply about people. I am closer to a socialist than I am to anything else.
But we have got to teach our young people to deal with adversity. Things are not always going to work out in the way that we want them to work out. Life is full of surprises and challenges and disappointments and people who do things better than us.
The hope here is that at those challenging, uncomfortable moments, we do not cower from the opportunity to improve; we do not give up in frustration; we do not go running to our parents/partners/friends in tears; we do not avoid playing or participating because there is a possibility we might face an unfavorable outcome.
Instead we get inspired and energized to be better.
I do not want my kids to like losing. But I do want, and expect, them to win and lose with dignity and respect. I want them to be angry and disappointed. And I want them to feel challenged and driven to do better next time.
I want them to learn from difficult situations, not run from them.
Facing the future they face, these lessons will come. I prefer to learn the skill before it is necessary.
I am not the first to trumpet the virtues of learning to lose, but I will add myself to the voices of parents who think that it is important.
I lost the first hockey game I ever played in 30 – 0. Everyone that I still know from that team remembers. And we all also remember that we did not win a game that whole year. We lost 26 – 2, 10 – 0 (many times), 13 – 3, and so on and so on.
But we won some games the next year and while we were never good, we got better.
I coach little league baseball. We do not keep score. I can guess at the reason, but do not know for sure. I think that we are doing a disservice to the kids (and probably the parents).
I am a pacifist. I care deeply about people. I am closer to a socialist than I am to anything else.
But we have got to teach our young people to deal with adversity. Things are not always going to work out in the way that we want them to work out. Life is full of surprises and challenges and disappointments and people who do things better than us.
The hope here is that at those challenging, uncomfortable moments, we do not cower from the opportunity to improve; we do not give up in frustration; we do not go running to our parents/partners/friends in tears; we do not avoid playing or participating because there is a possibility we might face an unfavorable outcome.
Instead we get inspired and energized to be better.
I do not want my kids to like losing. But I do want, and expect, them to win and lose with dignity and respect. I want them to be angry and disappointed. And I want them to feel challenged and driven to do better next time.
I want them to learn from difficult situations, not run from them.
Facing the future they face, these lessons will come. I prefer to learn the skill before it is necessary.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Hard to Imagine.
Watching the inauguration of Barack Obama the other day I was touched by the faces of the black young people. What an amazing day for them…but do they even know what an amazing day it was?
Seeing a black man becoming the president of the United States opens up possibilities in their imagination of what is possible that has never before existed. The implication of it is profound.
Years ago in the late 1990’s, when the US Women’s soccer team rose to prominence, won Olympic gold and a World Cup, I was watching with my wife. She looked at me and said something that I will remember forever.
“This is the first time ever that I can imagine being a professional athlete.”
It was so jarring to me (a athletic kid who survived the torture of school by holding the dream of playing professional sports), that she had to further explain.
When we were growing up there were no female athletes who were prominent. I suppose there were some tennis players and Olympic athletes, but that did not do it for my wife. She never considered playing sports a possibility in her imagining of what was possible for her life.
Again, I need to re-iterate that this was a complete shock for me. It had always been a possibility for me – albeit a long shot. But, it was clearly a part of what I imagined as possible and it drove me to engage in my life in a really different way.
I did not feel powerful or important in the academic world, but this dream of being a athlete filled me with hope, with possibility, and kept my imagination working. Without this I would have been a lost, lost little boy.
I suspect that Tuesday, January 20, 2009 (along with November 4, 2008) will go down as a turning point in the lives of countless young black people. I do not know that the impact will be massively visible, mine was not, but it will open those doors to hope, possibility, and imagination.
Seeing a black man becoming the president of the United States opens up possibilities in their imagination of what is possible that has never before existed. The implication of it is profound.
Years ago in the late 1990’s, when the US Women’s soccer team rose to prominence, won Olympic gold and a World Cup, I was watching with my wife. She looked at me and said something that I will remember forever.
“This is the first time ever that I can imagine being a professional athlete.”
It was so jarring to me (a athletic kid who survived the torture of school by holding the dream of playing professional sports), that she had to further explain.
When we were growing up there were no female athletes who were prominent. I suppose there were some tennis players and Olympic athletes, but that did not do it for my wife. She never considered playing sports a possibility in her imagining of what was possible for her life.
Again, I need to re-iterate that this was a complete shock for me. It had always been a possibility for me – albeit a long shot. But, it was clearly a part of what I imagined as possible and it drove me to engage in my life in a really different way.
I did not feel powerful or important in the academic world, but this dream of being a athlete filled me with hope, with possibility, and kept my imagination working. Without this I would have been a lost, lost little boy.
I suspect that Tuesday, January 20, 2009 (along with November 4, 2008) will go down as a turning point in the lives of countless young black people. I do not know that the impact will be massively visible, mine was not, but it will open those doors to hope, possibility, and imagination.
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