Doing

“Some women have…gone mad for lack of things to do” (Florence Nightingale, via Woodham-Smith, 1952).

I can’t say this was ever true for me – and those who know me well would laugh at the idea. In fact, the phrase ‘human doing’ might suit me better than ‘human being’. Most folk will comment on the speed at which I rush through/at work, the way I try and juggle too much, saying yes more often than no.

I thought it would be good to take a moment – a la Steve Mouldey in his first #28days post – to do a wee review and look ahead for 2015. I like the framework of ‘being, doing, becoming’ as a way to process what’s ahead. And, to be honest, for me, the the ‘being’ is sometimes harder to make time for than the ‘doing’. So it’s a positive act just to write it here and commit to it publicly.

And I hope the ‘becoming’ will look after itself…

Doing, in 2015

The things we do are what creates progress, creates culture, helps us evolve. Work can be a wonderful passion – or a blind distraction. Here’s what’s on top for me this year:

leading the set-up a national advisory to support all schools/kura integrate digital technologies through learning
contributing to the strategic direction, events and leadership at CORE Education, including being part of an incubator team prototyping a student-centred project
writing – blogs, articles…
facilitating, presenting, keynoting, working alongside educators and schools
travelling to Melbourne in April to present at the Connected Learning Summit
research…is this the year to crack on with the PhD?

Being, in 2015

Maslow (1968) describes it as the ‘… contemplation and enjoyment of the inner life’. Finding that place where we can tap into the deeper, peaceful, creative parts of ourselves is a challenge, often because of all that ‘doing’ business. So, this year, my goals are:

Make quality time to be mum, partner, friend to those who matter most – should have been top of this blog post really…..
Relationship build – work to keep growing my understanding of te reo Māori, tīkanga Māori, Pasifika cultures and ways to work with others inclusively day-to-day
Stay fit and healthy – regular workshop at the cult of Crossfit, running, diving..
Maintain calm – The Headspace app is highly recommended – “gym membership for the mind”.. I’ve made it part of my morning routine.
Get creative – dig out the camera and create my own content for my writing.
Exploring spaces and limits – enjoy the motorbike, re-discover the beauty of freediving…
Read. Read. Read.

Becoming

“Life is a process. We are a process. Everything that has happened in our lives … is an integral part of our becoming’”(Wilson Schaef, 1990).

I like the idea of our future selves being developed and refined – becoming – by the acts of being and doing. The idea of ‘becoming’ points to potential. It can be shaped and the decisions about how this can happen are largely mine to make.

The metaphor of a cairn comes to mind. Each action of doing or being places a stone on the cairn. It is ours to create each day – and by the end of the year, I will have been changed by the actions above.