W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?
Clean out an overstuffed desk drawer or dig into the rear of the hall closet and you might say, “Darn, where did that come from?” Or, a slight smile might crease your lips, “Yeah, that brings back memories!”
Last week I found a stamp in my office. You know, the self-inking type that you might have for a return address or to mark a check for deposit.
My stamp had “W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?”
I had it made one semester for my students. More specifically, for their papers. After readying their initial assignment of the term, in addition to my written, long-hand comments, I would stamp “W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?” on the bottom of the page. Occasionally, I would share the message again at midterm and end of term.
“W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?”
“What Are You Doing To Get What You Want?”
Each student came to campus with dreams. Some laser-focused; others a bit scattered. I challenged them to add action to their dreams. Without initiative, all the potential and ambition in the world can come up short.
As you review your goals for this past year, you will find times of progress, stumbles, misdirection, success, learning, and growth. Take a moment and dig deeper. What happened because of your consistency and inconsistency? Did you take your eye off your dream? Did you get tired? Did you get sidetracked because you paid attention to distractions and detractors? Did you find you needed assistance? Did you seek that assistance?
What served as your fuel and what depleted your reserves?
“W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?” is more than a clever technique. It reminds us that our dreams need attention, assumption-checking, alacrity, and action.
As you review 2018 and move into 2019, perhaps “W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?” can provide the little push you need—we all need—to stay true to our core values.
Video Recommendation of the Week:
This 60-second video reminds us of the importance of establishing, recognizing, and honoring boundaries and limits. If we fail to do this, we risk sabotaging our journey. Consider, as part of your “W.A.Y.D.T.G.W.Y.W?”, how boundaries and limits fit into your action plan.
For more about community building and sustainability,
look for my new book,
Community as a Safe Place to Land,
due out the beginning of 2019. More information to come.
Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.
For information about and to order my most recent book, Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, click here. A few colleges and one state-wide agency have adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.
The paperback price on Amazon is now $14.99 and the Kindle version stands at $5.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.
My podcasts: The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).
My programs and webinars: website (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/what-i-do) and (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/webinars).
Pearson Education publishes my student textbooks for life success—Choices for College Success (3rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? (3rd edition).
(c) 2018. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.
The Growth and Resilience Network® 