Michael Ketterer was a featured contestant on America's Got Talent last week and he was awarded a "Golden Buzzer" for his performance. Michael and his wife have adopted multiple children, including one with cerebral palsy. As you might imagine, their story is quite compelling!
In the pre-performance interview before the judges, he made a profound statement:
“When you’re surviving you can’t dream”
CLICK HERE to Watch the AGT Video.
His statement struck me because I've found that to be true, especially among educators and entrepreneurs.
When people are stuck in the cycle of crisis management and trying to hang on for dear life, they can't dream. (See Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) Their minds are so full of the decisions required to deal with the current issues, exhausting the internal resources needed to step back and consider future goals and opportunities.
Is living in survival mode limiting your ability to dream? Are the people following you exhausted from having to manage the tyranny of the urgent?
Take some time soon to hit the pause button, reflect and consider your future. A Leadership Retreat could be the ideal way to do this.
Think about where you are, where you want to go, and how you might get there. How can you more effectively build on your strengths and find greater joy along the way?
When you stop surviving perhaps you can start dreaming again.
And perhaps that would help transform your school from a dispenser of curriculum to become an inspirer of dreams.