Balance is the Story of Life

Balance is the Story of Life

Born into a world  adrift

We roll with the waves

trying to hold our salty breath

Going under  only to resurface

A perfect balance alludes us.

 

As we seek to understand and determine how to find balance in our lives, remember that balance is not a static act.  Like the tight rope walker, we move forward making constant corrections.  We stay afloat by making constant corrections. Balance is a fluid thing. It isn’t something you find, or something you achieve, it is something you do.  Balance will never be perfect.  It will always tilt toward one direction or another.  Our goal is to stay afloat, not to be sucked under for too long at any one time.

 

 

 

What’s In a Name?

I want to talk about Branding.  Educators, schools, consultants, it seems to be the big thing in the education world.  Over the past several months I have been thinking more deeply about branding because of my upcoming book, the podcast, and this blog.  I have a message I want to share with the world, and using my “brand” could theoretically help me get it to them.  I have had this conversation several times over with different people, found interesting viewpoints from different audiences, but time and time again I am drawn back to the same fundamental issue I have with branding: I am more than one thing.

Last weekend while I was enjoying another incredible ECET2NJPA event (I am fortunate to have been at 3) someone asked me, “hey, you’re that breakout guy? right?” In fairness I was presenting a session on breakouts, one I have given many times.  I have also built a number of games both physical and digital and share them widely.  That’s not the point.  The point is that I struggled with the label.  Afterwards, while I was talking with a new friend, she recommended, “Just go with it.” The reality is, breakouts are something I am good at.  It is just one minor piece of a much larger puzzle.

I have thought about what branding might look like, might mean for me, and for me all I can settle upon is this: I am me.  I have many passions, an occasionally odd sense of humor, a tendency to overuse gifs on social media, and a love for debate.  Even these brief descriptors, as accurate as they are, fail to come close to explaining me.  Branding is an odd concept in education. I see where it can be useful, but I also see it as limiting.  So, as I will almost certainly share, and likely  overshare what I do, I refuse to confine myself to being a single label. All of us should aspire to be more.