Taking Risks. Risky or Necessary?

10/20/14 Taking Risks. Risky or Necessary?

 

When did we get so conservative? I don’t mean to question anyone’s political perspectives. I mean, when did we get so averse to risk- the risk of taking an unknown step in our professional careers, the risk of launching an idea that no one has ever done before, the risk of connecting with someone new, the risk of stepping out of ANY comfort zone? Are you meeting your full potential right now by being just where you have been for some time? Do you even know what you can accomplish without taking on a new and risky challenge? Frederick B. Wilcox said, “Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” But, it’s so easy to stay where we are and how we are and with whom we are… and how we are comfortable. Is that why we are here on this planet?  Is that our purpose- to be safe? John A. Shedd wrote in Salt from My Attic, “A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are for.” What calculated risk can you take that might just help you grow and reach a dream you have had or acheive a potential that you may not even have dreamed of yet? And dreams, they never got anyone anywhere- action did.

Hurdles? Scraped Knees AND Finishing

3/10/14 Hurdles? Scraped Knees AND Finishing

 

The best hurdlers in the world still have permanently scraped and scarred knees. The winner of a particular race may have still knocked over some of the hurdles. We will all always have barriers to our success. As educators, we must also encourage our students and give them tools; to be able to glide over, run around and even bust through the hurdles while also picking themselves back up after falling. We are coaches and emergency responders. We must draw on a stocked well of ideas for new methods to perceive the hurdles our students face. We must hope for the best and plan for the worst far ahead of time, so we can be prepared for any eventuality. We run parallel with our students. We will fall, too. We must dust ourselves off and deal with our own scraped knees while simultaneously lending a hand. We will all bear these scars and grow stronger for having persevered, yet we only win when EVERYONE finishes. Then we all win.