Returning to Grow
This blog actually started years ago. It predates [ the clean slate ]. I don't actually remember the reasons why I started [ the clean slate ] rather than just continuing on here. Maybe it was about a fresh start. I had started the Bear's Den and inconsistently posted about really nothing. I hated looking back through the posts and feeling disappointed with how I presented stuff...meaningless stuff. All I could think of was the writer from Ecclesiastes saying "Meaningless, meaningless. Everything is meaningless". I wanted to write profound things - but I never really came to that place. So I just ditched it and started something new. There's nothing really wrong with 'new starts' - sometimes they're needed. But the inability to figure out how to delete a blog left me staring at this dormant blog every time I logged in to update [ the clean slate ].
And then the Association for Experiential Education conference happened two or so weeks ago. I started writing down memories and experiences that I have had with leading team building sessions and teaching workshops. And I started thinking that this place would be the right place to write about it.
With all that said - this is the purpose of this site. It's a place where I'm returning to reflect on my growing times - times when I've failed, stood back up, faced the challenge and learned from my experiences. That's why I've taken the "Den" out of the title and changed it to "Instigate Change". One of the things that I've been mulling over these past few weeks is the concept of the facilitator. I honestly believe that my staff are SICK of hearing me talk about facilitating. At the AEE conference - the group that I connected with consistently announced at the end of the day "STOP FACILITATING ME!". To "facilitate" actually means "to help along"...well - in a lot of situations when you're working through team building activities - sure, you're trying to help the group read the proverbial treasure map that leads to better teamwork and stronger communities. But really - when I look at the role that I often play in those activities - I'm facilitating but I'm also instigating. When groups, teams, or group members are doing really well, I create more challenges. I take away sight, hearing, limbs, I create more limits to increase the challenge so that optimal learning happens. I ask hard questions in hopes of growing self-assessment and reflection. I'm stirring the pot - creating change. I'm not the end of change - I'm just the beginning. I'm the one at the top of the hill that tosses a little snowball down to see what it turns into. But WHAT it turns into depends on the group members. There's a choice that must be made to see that change turn into growth. That choice is not mine to make. That choice belongs to the participant.
Down to the skinnies...What will you find here?
- My musings about leading my activities.
- Activities! Because we all like to learn new activities - I'll post activities that I lead, outcomes to expect, my own experiences with them, and the masterminds behind them.
- Resources! I'll do book reviews as much as I possibly can stomach.
- Reflections on my own growth as a human and a facili-instiga...whatever I am.
So here's to failing, learning, growing, and never arriving at perfection...because in perfection there's no room for growth.
And then the Association for Experiential Education conference happened two or so weeks ago. I started writing down memories and experiences that I have had with leading team building sessions and teaching workshops. And I started thinking that this place would be the right place to write about it.
With all that said - this is the purpose of this site. It's a place where I'm returning to reflect on my growing times - times when I've failed, stood back up, faced the challenge and learned from my experiences. That's why I've taken the "Den" out of the title and changed it to "Instigate Change". One of the things that I've been mulling over these past few weeks is the concept of the facilitator. I honestly believe that my staff are SICK of hearing me talk about facilitating. At the AEE conference - the group that I connected with consistently announced at the end of the day "STOP FACILITATING ME!". To "facilitate" actually means "to help along"...well - in a lot of situations when you're working through team building activities - sure, you're trying to help the group read the proverbial treasure map that leads to better teamwork and stronger communities. But really - when I look at the role that I often play in those activities - I'm facilitating but I'm also instigating. When groups, teams, or group members are doing really well, I create more challenges. I take away sight, hearing, limbs, I create more limits to increase the challenge so that optimal learning happens. I ask hard questions in hopes of growing self-assessment and reflection. I'm stirring the pot - creating change. I'm not the end of change - I'm just the beginning. I'm the one at the top of the hill that tosses a little snowball down to see what it turns into. But WHAT it turns into depends on the group members. There's a choice that must be made to see that change turn into growth. That choice is not mine to make. That choice belongs to the participant.
Down to the skinnies...What will you find here?
- My musings about leading my activities.
- Activities! Because we all like to learn new activities - I'll post activities that I lead, outcomes to expect, my own experiences with them, and the masterminds behind them.
- Resources! I'll do book reviews as much as I possibly can stomach.
- Reflections on my own growth as a human and a facili-instiga...whatever I am.
So here's to failing, learning, growing, and never arriving at perfection...because in perfection there's no room for growth.
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