January 8, 2021
Question: What do you consider to be your biggest challenge in life?
Answer: Now that’s a good question! And I’m having a hard time answering the question, because I’m trying to choose between two things. So, as I write being as honest and vulnerable as I can…I would say that the biggest challenges in my life are: (1) defining how I want to do the work I really want to do on MY terms, and (2) getting clear on how I can be a better, more loving partner to my wife Rebecca.
With #1, I know why I was put on this earth, but I can’t say that I’m doing it in a manner that resonates with my soul. It doesn’t seem that higher education gets it; I am constantly battling my colleagues and my institution that helping students get clear about their lives is the most important service we can provide students. My colleagues, however, are focused more on the numbers – retention rates, graduation rates – and on the processes of degree attainment, such as registration and scheduling. There doesn’t seem to be much interest in my work in purpose and meaning exploration, helping students get clear about why they were put on this earth. It would be a great service if we could integrate both, but it doesn’t seem like anyone at my institution (UNCG) is interested. And it’s a real struggle for me right now.
With #2, it’s just a fact that we seem to be in two different worlds right now. She’s much more extroverted than I and needs to be around people. I need to be around people, but in a different way. I seek intellectually stimulating conversations and would rather spend my time outside doing sports and fitness activities. She very family-oriented, needs more human interactions, prefers light conversations, and is very creative. I’m hopeful we’ll find a middle ground at some point…we’ll see.
So, those are my biggest challenges. Are you willing to share?
I think this is a great time to share one of my favorite videos – and one we use in our classes.
If you don’t understand the power that you can have with being vulnerable, then YOU ARE REQUIRED to watch Brene Brown’s TED Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability”; here’s the link:
- The Power of Vulnerability – https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability?language=en
For some, this may be one of the more important 20 minutes of your life.
If you enjoy the video, then you HAVE to watch her Netflix Documentary, “The Call to Courage,” which is an expansion of her TED Talk, and also beyond excellent. If you want to know what you’re getting yourself in to, check out the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-WvA7uFDQ. Here’s the link to the video (must have a Netflix account to watch it):
- The Call to Courage – https://www.netflix.com/title/81010166
Favorite quote from documentary: “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; true belonging requires you to BE who you are.”
What if YOU would have shown up?
If you have any thoughts, please share.
The Dream Dean 