The name of my blog changed itself. At some point it transitioned into day. As is read in today’s excerpt – it was always day.

In my own real time experience, life circumstances are demonstrating much clarity around me being the common denominator…always. What’s happening (circumstance) is my feedback, my results, my data. I choose next steps as to how I interpret the data.

What is making real time so clear is that there is nothing to point at to say ‘you are the problem’. 

I began facilitating checkIN and storyitell to high school students on track to graduate. My 45 minute weekly session is paired with another 45 minute weekly session that is facilitated by a nonprofit that focuses on practical skills for next steps (resume building, next step prep for college or training options and application processes, identifying strengths, setting goals, etc). I consider it internal on Monday, external on Wednesday. A hip, fun English teacher captures the big ideas and weaves it together, facilitating further exploration in the remaining half of class on both nights (the course in Mon/Wed for 90 minutes).

When I asked to facilitate my content, I knew I was requesting a challenge. My desired outcome was to learn how to facilitate the skills, tools, strategies in a meaningful way. I needed the students to teach me.

The most general advice I received for facilitating a lesson to a group is taken from Jeffco Generations (a vision for the school district taken from the time I was there sometime between 2015 and 2019). It’s simple: every lesson should be authentic, relevant, and engaging. 

Wellbeing skillbuilding is relevant. I know I am coming from an authentic space, even though my 4pm vibe is different from my early morning vibe when I write and create. Engagement? Ugh.

I have believed for some time that the truest result of effective teaching and learning is the level of engagement. 

When facilitating experiential concepts and ideas to high school students, one has to essentially get the students to ‘buy’ what one is ‘selling’. There is no automaticity in this.

What happens when you get what you want and the results are not stellar from your perspective?

Or, what happens when you get what you don’t want, but there is nothing to point a finger at as the problem?

This is life.

Constant work. (Stutz documentary on Netflix)

Three reflective questions:

1. Are you stuck on repeat in an area of your life? (I refer to this as being stuck or spinning in a version of the same limiting outcomes)
2. Are you open to changing how you filter what is happening to allow for better outcomes?
3. Can you be open to recognizing that whatever circumstances, situations, events are happening, you are the common denominator? You are a part of the whole.