Sometimes people feel the need to have everybody agree with them. This especially happens to people in authority who are accustomed to having everything go their way. The problem with this is that even though people do what you say they do not do it willingly and it is demonstrated in their attitude and demeanor. If you truly want somebody to participate actively in anything you do you cannot make him or her do it; you have to have them want to do it. The only way to do this is by enrolling them and making them feel like they are an essential part of what is going on and that without them things would not be the same.
If this does not work then we have to begin to assume responsibility for our actions and we have to take control of the situation. The only way that we can control the situation is by becoming the board. When we become the board, we no longer point fingers or put excuses. We do not let the circumstances dictate our actions but we use the circumstances to further our purpose.
We have to not only be open to possibilities but also inspire others to do the same. When we change our frame of mind others can be inspired by what we are doing. Like Nelson Mandela said, what we fear most is what we are truly capable of. Many times we underestimate ourselves and close the doors of possibility because we are afraid of what might happen. We are scared of the success or the responsibility of achieving something could bring to us. If we would take down our barriers and strive for everything possible then maybe we would be in awe of ourselves instead of scared.
When we do this we have to be aware that we are not a one-person army and that we do depend on others to help us along the way. Whether we are the leaders or we are not we depend on each other to make our collaborative dreams possible. When we fight on our own our strength wanes quickly, but when we have others working together with us we can make miracles possible.
Marcos: I don't think if you searched far and wide that you could find a better quote than the Nelson Mandela quote that you used. It is wonderful! I love it! Your comments on working together and making miracles happen reminds me of the book "It Takes a Village". How true. Great insight.
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ReplyDeleteWhat a strong first paragraph. I caught myself nodding throughout your whole first section. SUCH STRONG WORDS and...soooo TRUE. I think Ben and Roz were really trying to make us realize this and that it is key to the learning of others. We need to make our students WANT to do the things they do and fully engulf their brains into what is to be done for them to get the most out of our teaching. And I feel like when we or people become the board it is really a self reflection on weather or not what they or we were trying to portray is legit or not. And you are so right about being able to inspire others and that we are NOT a one person army.
You did an amazing job reflecting upon this week's reading Marcos. It was so fluid and I felt like you summarized what Ben and Roz were saying to a 'T'. Thanks for sharing and I really enjoyed reading your blog this week.
Kudos to you... :)
Your post caught my eye on Sheri’s page. You state that “we use the circumstances to further our purpose”…this was very impressive to me. I especially like the way you embrace the use of and the strength behind the power of “we” . It is truly a scary thing to face our fears, but as you mention, it is more exciting to envision the awesome that could be realized just passed that fear.
ReplyDeleteIt is so easy to get locked into ones own point of view, that it can be so difficult to imagine the world differently. And the question can be what are we willing to do to see that better world. Your Nelson Mandela comes to mind. Better should definitely not be confused with easier.
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