Week 4 Reading: The value of Dreams

The Value of Dreams
Dreams allow us to escape the bonds of reality and create a world of our own. Dreams awaken the possibility of changing the world and creating something beyond the constraints of the past. Without the dream that we could fly we would not have planes, with out the fantasy of magic and all its problem solvers we won't have science. Today's dreams are the reality of our future.
As the book the Art of Possibility states the famous " I have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King does appeal to everyone of us. As dreams represent our inner wishes; they are a manifestation of our true self. The self that dreams of climbing mount everest in spite of the odds against that ever happening. They push us to want and achieve more.
I totally agree with the implication that to be a true leader one must have a dream, a vision/mission statement and objectives. How else can a leader influence and be an agent of change if they don't know where they wish to take us. It is the dreams of a leader and our desperate desire for something better that changes the world that we live in.
I want to an agent of change, source of inspiration for others particularly my son. This book the art of possibility has allowed me to reconnect with my inner five year old that believes that anything is possible.
I truly enjoyed this book and I am very glad that it is part of this Masters program! So I leave you the picture that began my journey to understanding the art of possibility; a picture of my son.....

Maritza,
You seem to have embraced the essence of the book! You appear to be totally understand the concept of the being the board. I enjoyed your insightful comment












Please find Maritzas blog post below:
When "the way things are" inhibits you from progress, motivation, or seemingly any accomplishment, you can tell yourself you are the board on which this game is being played. It is possible to transform the rules of your world into opportunities to take challenges and breakdowns and realize that you have made the choice of your own free will to allow these things to victimize you. I choose to allow the situation to ground me and clip my wings. Now I can choose to rethink and transform the design of the game to work in my favor. How did I get here? I have been telling myself I am the victim. I really can make a difference by designing my conversation and actions to effectively repair breakdowns. I am not to blame; I have just not removed the barriers in my thinking. I have made some incorrect assumptions, and that is the source of my difficulty. I myself am the tool and the means by which I control the relationships and actions within them. In this manner I begin to make a difference and change the persons and circumstances that I viewed as stifling into partnerships working toward the same goal in the larger picture. 

Response to Nathalie Hills week 4 reading post

Nahtalie,
Your absolutely right Mission statements are key to an organizations financial health but it is also key to the individual's overall well being. They help when making critical decisions as a mission statement guides us along our path.
















Please find Natalies post below:

As I read the chapter entitled, Creating Frameworks for Possibility, I didn’t really understand what it meant. As I continued to read I saw the term “mission statement” but, before reading what it was I thought about seeing that term on the wall of the church never really read it though. Now that I know the purpose of a mission statement I said I was actually going to read the mission statement of the church one-day. 

Not only did I find a mission statement important for the church to follow but also for my future. My mission statement is to continue to do well in school, after finishing school my goal is to continue to take every opportunity for granted and try to stop getting mad when I feel I should receive better money or recognition. If I stay focused on my mission the vision will come to pass. I have learned to write the vision and make it plain, we see and hear things but really don’t pay attention but as I sat back and thought about it I think I can give it a try. My vision is the start of articulating the possibility

Response to William Boswell: week 4 reading

William,
I really enjoyed reading your post, your perspective is refreshing! I think the reason why Children learn the blame game is because they learn quick the one who is at fault gets in trouble. Maybe if we refocus the consequences as something positive we may reduce the number of players in that "blame game".
















Please find William Boswell:

“Being the board” is a revelation in perspective for most people.  Instinctively, we are all interested in self-preservation.   This does not only apply to basic needs, but also applies to one’s self-esteem.   Children start the “blame game” at a very early age.   Being “right” bolsters belief in oneself; however, the “blame game” simply propagates an endless cycle.  Placing blame only provides a short-term solution to a problem that could very likely be encountered again.  Each new occurrence requires that fault be found with someone.  Where is one left if blame has nowhere to fall?  Accepting life for a series of events in which you are just a part creates an entirely new environment.  Things will go my way sometimes, and sometimes they will not.  One is not solely responsible for either outcome.  Sure, each decision one makes can produce a certain degree of certainty as to what may result, but never entirely.   Limiting risks in decision-making does not eliminate ALL risks, as the world is full of far too many variables.

 

Week 4 Leadership and Publishing Project

I would like to present at Society for Exploration Geologist 2011, The Society for Petroleum Engineers annual exhibition and conference and Schlumberger Forum. At all three events I would like to present in conjunction with more established the industry professional, Training in the oil and gas industry the road forward. This presentation will be focusing on a new type of course that combines scenario based learning, software training and domain knowledge. It is expected that this new type of course will provide industries profession with the skills necessary to operation successfully in the oil and gas industry. Please find click here to view a copy of my presentation.

Writing up my Astract

After writing up cycle 1 and cycle to I found it easy to write up the abstract. Particularly since the instructions given were so clear, once you followed the instructions it was easy to arrive at 130 words. All it required was a little word-smithing and voila 119 words!.
The key to a good abstract truly understanding the essence of your project once you have done that its pretty simple!

Response to Klauer's post

Elizabeth,
I agree with the book allows you to be you. They ask you to accept your feeling and a situations not to be unrealistically optimistic about the fact it is raining on your vacation. They simply ask you to look beyond it! I really enjoyed reading your post


















Please find Elizabeths blog post below:

The honesty of the authors is truly a breath of fresh air. We are merely human, and it is natural to feel emotions of anger, grief, disillusionment, frustration, etc. There are many philosophies that teach to one end of the spectrum to the other. We are to embrace suffering by realizing that we deserve it and must wallow in it and beat our bodies down to train them. Or we are to completely deny our feelings and transcend beyond that to another elevated state of peace or nirvana or whatever. The Zanders make it clear that we are to allow our feelings to run their course and come to a place where we can move forward. In life we have never reached an impasse. Our creativity and resilience are just challenged a bit... sometimes a lot. I love the rabbi story. There are always reasons to be thankful. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (Paul the Apostle, 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“Give Way to Passion.” Must I ruin this chapter title by writing more? Yes. I think what might often happen, based on my observations, is that people end up married with children before they fully realize their dreams and passions and gifts. A job becomes necessary for providing the basic needs of the family. The job is just that-- a job, not a joy, or a delight, or a passion. However I suppose a passion for life and living can turn any job into a passion. If your family’s comfort and happiness are your passions, your job will be a joy because it is the means to provide that. I see many parallels between this chapter and the 4th, “Being a Contribution.” Of course the BTFI moment stands out to me the most! Love it! We make so many excuses for why we can’t pursue something. I usually hate this word so I apologize, but, fuck it! And go for the seemingly impossible!!! God gave us passions and gifts for a reason. So we need to let go of our pride and our half-empty glasses and invest in our passions to bless and be blessed by others. So, self-application... Within two years I will move out of state or preferably out of the country to pursue either foreign languages and/or film school and/or dance and/or soccer. I like the “and” better than the “or” so I say... all of the above! It sounds impossible.

The Eastlea School story - inspiring! I especially love Anthony’s 15-minutes of fame! I’m trying to get my students to have their moments of fame by recording their skits and rap songs that they create based on our current chapter in History. They love watching each other. And I love when they compliment each other, which unfortunately, is not that often. Working on that... Trying to help fan their sparks into flames and to be inspired by the sparks my students have.