Nudges We Create & Watch Breathe New Life

“We get to make things. Things that make the world nudge a little bit in what we hope is the right direction.” Wilson Miner, Webstock 2012

recite-16031--930386081-1ayn6lrI’ve been thinking a lot about our ability to create and the impact of what we leave behind when we no longer exist. As an educator,  speaker, writer, human being I plant daily. I plant thoughts, ideas, emotions, inspiration, energy, passion, etc. I don’t always plant positive seeds, especially when I take for granted my interactions, choices and actions. Sometimes, we just don’t think about these things. Life and its slumps get in the way. We need to create, be a part of something, or do something that makes us reflect on our actions and choices. We need books to read, music that inspires us, podcasts to digest, conversations to reflect on, and so forth.
Recently, the 30 Goals Challenge for Educators began and now I’m surrounded daily with inspiration and already I have seen the positive change it has made in my life. My blog is no longer empty. My presence in my social networks is more positive. I am visiting and reading more blogs. I’m listening to friend’s podcasts, asking friends how they are doing, participating in more projects, writing more creatively and enjoying life more. I wake up with a smile, a glow, a jump as if I have been ignited again.
What do we do when our creation is in danger of dying?
It’s funny how we don’t think about the impact of our creations. I created the 30 Goals. It’s my baby, but in 4 years it has taken a life of its own and others have become a part of it and made it into something beyond what I could ever do alone. Last year, I thought it would die. It was too much for me to do alone. I felt overwhelmed. This year I decided to make it less about me and more about the community. I contemplated for months how I could make it more collaborative and highlight the creations that are inspired by the 200+ educators who are taking part now.
Allowing our PLN to revive us….
We need people and we need to allow their creativity and inspiration to breathe new life into our creations. I think educators sometimes have a problem with allowing others to take over. We create so much in our lives. We create lesson plans, lectures, PowerPoints, worksheets, posters, documents, learning stations, bulletin boards, curriculums, instructional plans, etc. We invest so much of ourselves that it is difficult to let it go and allow our students to take that from us and contribute to it. Maybe we feel it will be vandalized or we won’t be able to direct the outcome. I like to be surprised by the outcome. I like to think that the various projects I’ve helped create- #Edchat, The Reform Symposium, and The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators– will still be around inspiring others long after I am gone. If these projects do continue to live and inspire it is only because my PLN (passionate learning network) has kept them alive. For that I am blessed and extremely grateful.
This reflection was inspired by Wilson Miner’s When We Build Talk, which was shared by @ILOTimo. I’ve made the following quotes from his 43 min presentation using Recite This. Maybe you don’t have 43minutes but if you have 6 minutes catch the presentation from 36:40 on up. I hope you are as inspired as I was.

Wilson Miner’s Talk

Webstock ’12: Wilson Miner – When we build from Webstock on Vimeo.

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