Monday, August 9, 2021 (Day 221)
Relaxing Music for the week: Finding My Way: Liquid Mind (9:20) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpG6TUM1USs
Question: How does money bring you joy?
Answer: I don’t believe that money brings me joy; it provides me with peace and contentment. Knowing that I can provide for my family and save for the future is definitely something that I don’t take for granted. Actually, there isn’t much that brings me joy, although I’m sure if I one day break 80 in golf, that will be a joyous day. I believe that every day I’m alive, doing the things I love, is joyful. To have the many opportunities that I have had in my life despite a few set backs every now and then, life is a gift that keeps on giving. So, no joy in money, just appreciating the fact that we have some and put it to good use.
Other Stuff
This past weekend, I decided to read the book, “Everything is Figure-Out-Able” by Marie Forleo. It’s an interesting book, since it provides instructions on how to figure things out. However, there’s one chapter that stands out the most for me, one where I just felt the need to read several times over and over because it so resonated with my soul. You can probably guess why it resonated so much just by the chapter heading: “The World Needs Your Special Gift.”
This chapter has put forth in motion a thought I had for a few years, based on proposal from Stanford University on the future of education. One of the section, Purpose Learning (http://www.stanford2025.com/purpose-learning) struck a cord with me in so many different ways. But this weekend, it seemed to come together for me, informing me of one of my next steps. Although I know that purpose exploration should be at the heart of higher education, how does it fit with the grind of education. Reading this chapter and going back to the Stanford article provided clarity – help students declare a mission, the discover their major. Imagine if students were able to construct a mission statement that consisted of their “verb” (action that defines their very being), their audience (who they can serve – and want to serve), a problem that needs to be solved (something that resonates with their soul), a solution (using their unique gifts), and the impact (a change/result that makes life better), AND turn this into a sentence, they could literally choose a major based on any parts of their mission statement.
Next Sunday, at the School of HHS Navigate Session, I will facilitate a session titled, “Declare a Mission, Discover Your Major.” I decided to do it this way because at most institutions, we have students focus their energy on declaring a major, then finding out how that major can help us discover out mission/purpose. If you think about it, this process should be the other way around; if you can define how you want to use your gifts and talents to profoundly serve others, you’ll be able to easily narrow down your options for a major. Of course, that’s what the “HHS125: What Could I Do With My Life” course is ALL about – finding your place in the world, with regards to your major, job, career, and calling – and creating a plan around it. Do I have a fun job or what?
The Dream Dean 