The Gusting Wind

The last few days have seen a flurry of activity and I feel confident in telling you that there is now a gusting wind blowing me from the doldrums. While I still am having moments of inactivity and confusion to the enxt step, I remain steadfast at the task to get it accomplished.

I found that accomplishing smaller, more personal, tasks seem to be the momentum builders I needed to get back in gear. Perhaps, as Covey might put it, my saw needed sharpening.

I’ve booked a friend to help me build a promotional video for my speaking engagements. This will become part of a larger marketing project. This is an area I want to explore. I talked about it earlier and now want to see about making it become a reality.

I’ve also been cleaning my workspace and removing old notes, flipcharts, clutter, junk, and nuisance items from the floors, surfaces, and walls. This always makes me feel better.

Some gardening has helped too. I planted my strongest 3 pumpkin plants a few days ago. Two of them have died but one is going strong. All I need it one vine to accomplish my goal here. The hops are coming through the ground and beginning to grow larger, my herbs are about ready to be shifted to a larger window box, and some other seeds are beginning to germinate.

Workwise, things are picking up as well. A few projects are back on track and new things are coming down the pipeline. All good news.

School is getting on track too. Right now I am waiting for a search (or several searches) to complete so I can more readily answer the discussion questions. I am not finding the reserved reading helpful or current, which is a bummer. I’ve also begun to evaluate the syllabus and course materials so they better suit my goals in the program/course. Sadly some of the course materials are superficial while giving the appearance of being more complex. A grading rubric for the final project looks complex (by virtue of the name and appearance) but lacks concrete value that could be used to develop a stronger final outcome for students. It gives 1 criteria and 4 levels of achievement, each defined by lengthy prose about subjective elements of the assignment. I am going to be asking for more clarification from the professor; I know this is not his rubric it is the curriculum designers’ work. I know this professor can add value; he has before and it was spot-on for the course and outcomes.

I feel good about the change this week. Getting out of the doldrums took some task listing, task accomplishment, and fortitude to stick through the stall.

Image Source: Jacek.NL

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