The Dream Dean

Friday, July 30, 2021 (Day 211)

Relaxing Music for the week: Hands of Love: Deuter (9:09) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gf0SCQoyBk

Question: What are three things you’d do if you weren’t afraid to do them?

Answer: Wow, another interesting question. Seems like there are some really great questions the end of this month! And if I remember correctly, it’ about growth. So, what three things would I do if I weren’t afraid to do them?

1. Admit to myself and to others that I’m a work in progress – and not someone that has his shit together. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever have my shit together, even when I’m no longer around. I’m learning something every day; even these posts make me think deeper about myself and what I want for my life. I’ll keep learning and growing, knowing that I will never figure “life” out.
2. Write a book. I know I’m capable of writing a book, but for some reason, I just seem to sit myself down and write something. It’s not like I don’t have content; I probably have more content than most, but just haven’t had the motivation to get something into a coherent package. Even if I just put a workbook out there, it’s a step in the right direction.
3. I can’t really come up with a third items…but I’ll come back to this later today when I have more time to think about it.
4. Actually, I just thought of a third thing. I would leave my current job, provided they don’t continue to support my work. I know that I want to continue doing Life Design Catalyst work, but not at a place that doesn’t find value in the work. Now, I will say that I have shared a “plan” to continue the work in the future; on Monday (August 2nd), there’s a meeting with the Dean and the Associate Dean to discuss advising and LDC work, to see if they can co-exist. All I’m asking is for a year for each unit to “prove” their value; if after a year it doesn’t work, tear everything down and start all over. But if it does work, then allow the seeds to spread and grow. Of course, if they say they want NOTHING to do with LDC work, then it’s time for me to go and find a place that values the work. I do love being in higher education and know that it’s my place to be; I just need to find a place that will value the work. I’ve thought about just going out on my own, but I LOVE being on a college campus – and that’s where I want to be, doing this work.

I know that I have one more day left before the end of the month reflection, but I enjoyed writing this month. I hope the last five months provide similarly stimulating writing prompts!

Other Stuff

One of the things I’ve mentioned in this post is my difficulty with sleep. For the most part, my brain never shuts off; I feel like I go to bed with lots of different thoughts roaming around in my head. Sometime these thoughts about work, sometimes about Life Design Catalyst stuff, sometimes it’s about my relationships with people. Regardless, the more “problems/issues,” the more likely I won’t sleep. I guess God was talking to me, because I opened my Inbox and found this video about a 5-minute routine to do before bed. Might be something I need to try.

• The Simplest and Most Powerful 5 Minute Evening Routine – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fcf3sIdX-U

The good thing is that I don’t look at my phone before bed (only to set my alarm) or when I get up (only to turn off the alarm). In the video, Benjamin Hardy recommends writing down the wins for the day, as well as three wins for the next day. That’s it. Sounds like a new project for me to try. What about you?