Abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life, obey thy heart. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.
My response:
Dreams . . .
1. Complete my dissertation
2. Become an educational consultant
3. Obtain my law degree with a specialization in education
Obstacles . . .
1. Time and energy - I cannot seem to get into my groove for writing.
2. Concern over security and stability of work to support my family
3. Time, money, need to complete dissertation first, and loss of contact with my family who have already sacrificed so much
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Invent the Future - Ralph Waldo Emerson
A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
My favorite quote of all time is Alan Kay: ‘In order to predict the future, you have to invent it.’ I am all about inventing the future. Decide what you want the future to be and make it happen. Because you can. Write about your future now.
My response:
This is my favorite quote, too! I have always believed that education would be my key to getting everything I wanted, and wanted to be, in life. So far, it has proven true. I have become a superintendent of schools by the age of 34, and I hope I will be a doctor of education by the age of 36. I have a great wife, family, and life, and I believe it is because I work for it.
I think this quote reminds us that Fate often needs a helping hand, and we need to be prepare to build the path to our future. I think we should never just let IT happen; rather I believe we should work to help make it happen. I love being a part of my future (as strange as that may sound), but it is the truth. I am who I am and where I am because of the work I have done.
A job well done . . . so far.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
One Thing - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Tuesday's post)
Do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work, and you shall reinforce yourself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.
My response:
I have always wanted to go to Norway. My wife and I have talked about it, and we are saving money for the many family vacations yet to come. Further, we have a list of places to see if the next several years.
Take a moment, step back from your concerns, and focus on one thing: You have one life to achieve everything you’ve ever wanted. Sounds simple, but when you really focus on it, let it seep into your consciousness, you realize you only have about 100 years to get every single thing you’ve ever wanted to do. No second chances. This is your only shot. Suddenly, this means you should have started yesterday. No more waiting for permission or resources to start. Today is the day you make the rest of your life happen. Write down one thing you’ve always wanted to do and how you will achieve that goal. Don’t be afraid to be very specific in how you’ll achieve it: once you start achieving, your goals will get bigger and your capability to meet them will grow.
My response:
I have always wanted to go to Norway. My wife and I have talked about it, and we are saving money for the many family vacations yet to come. Further, we have a list of places to see if the next several years.
Alternative Paths - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Monday's post)
When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.
My response:
I try hard to always look for alternatives and implications. When I do not want to look at alternatives, I know that I am not being fully truthful. As I work this week, I need to remember to see the options, push for options, and make sure I do not move forward in haste. I am trying hard to live in the moment, and enjoy it for all it has. I often get too caught up in tomorrow and what may be coming my way. My favorite quote is, "The only way to predict the future is to create it." Instead of just forecasting what could be, make it so.
The world buzzes about goals and visions. Focus. Create a vivid picture of exactly where you want to go. Dream big, then don’t let anything or anyone stop you. The problem, as Daniel Gilbert wrote in Stumbling Upon Happiness, is that we’re horrible at forecasting how we’ll really feel 10 or 20 years from now – once we’ve gotten what we dreamed of. Often, we get there only to say, “That’s not what I thought it would be,” and ask, “What now?” Ambition is good. Blind ambition is not. It blocks out not only distraction, but the many opportunities that might take you off course but that may also lead you in a new direction. Consistent daily action is only a virtue when bundled with a willingness to remain open to the unknown. In this exercise, look at your current quest and ask, “What alternative opportunities, interpretations and paths am I not seeing?” They’re always there, but you’ve got to choose to see them.
My response:
I try hard to always look for alternatives and implications. When I do not want to look at alternatives, I know that I am not being fully truthful. As I work this week, I need to remember to see the options, push for options, and make sure I do not move forward in haste. I am trying hard to live in the moment, and enjoy it for all it has. I often get too caught up in tomorrow and what may be coming my way. My favorite quote is, "The only way to predict the future is to create it." Instead of just forecasting what could be, make it so.
Suprise - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Sunday's post)
I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself. How will you surprise yourself this week?
My response:
I think I may surprise myself by actually taking a day off (or even two) just because.
Think of a time when you didn’t think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself. How will you surprise yourself this week?
My response:
I think I may surprise myself by actually taking a day off (or even two) just because.
Fear - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Saturday's post)
These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed? Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:
Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel?
Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?
Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?
Now Do. The Thing. You Fear.
My response:
I fear delving into my dissertation and really working on it until completion. I get gung ho about projects and become obsessed with completing it. I want desperately to just take a week and go crazy and write and read non-stop, but I have a family and a job, and they need me, too. I fear also that I will never complete the dissertation because I am afraid of delving into it. I want to be a doctor of education. I want to know I completed this. I want the students to stop looking at me disappointedly when I tell them I am not a doctor yet. The fear is certainly less than the joy I would feel, and certainly not worth it.
Is fear holding you back from living your fullest life and being truly self expressed? Put yourself in the shoes of the you who’s already lived your dream and write out the answers to the following:
Is the insecurity you’re defending worth the dream you’ll never realize? or the love you’ll never venture? or the joy you’ll never feel?
Will the blunder matter in 10 years? Or 10 weeks? Or 10 days? Or 10 minutes?
Can you be happy being anything less than who you really are?
Now Do. The Thing. You Fear.
My response:
I fear delving into my dissertation and really working on it until completion. I get gung ho about projects and become obsessed with completing it. I want desperately to just take a week and go crazy and write and read non-stop, but I have a family and a job, and they need me, too. I fear also that I will never complete the dissertation because I am afraid of delving into it. I want to be a doctor of education. I want to know I completed this. I want the students to stop looking at me disappointedly when I tell them I am not a doctor yet. The fear is certainly less than the joy I would feel, and certainly not worth it.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Divine Idea - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Imitation is Suicide. Insist on yourself; never imitate. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?
My response:
When I took on the role of superintendent, I was extremely concerned about my "role". I tried really hard to figure out how to act, what to do, and how not to lose myself in the job. The best advice, and the simplest answer, was to remain true to who I am and who I want to be. I continually think about my core values and if I use them in my daily work. On good days, I know the answer is yes. On worse days, I reflect of how I lost my way.
The best I can be is a constantly improving me. I am not sure it is a 'divine' idea, but it carries me forward.
Write down in which areas of your life you have to overcome these suicidal tendencies of imitation, and how you can transform them into a newborn you – one that doesn’t hide its uniqueness, but thrives on it. There is a “divine idea which each of us represents” – which is yours?
My response:
When I took on the role of superintendent, I was extremely concerned about my "role". I tried really hard to figure out how to act, what to do, and how not to lose myself in the job. The best advice, and the simplest answer, was to remain true to who I am and who I want to be. I continually think about my core values and if I use them in my daily work. On good days, I know the answer is yes. On worse days, I reflect of how I lost my way.
The best I can be is a constantly improving me. I am not sure it is a 'divine' idea, but it carries me forward.
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