“[The Duke of Milan] asks [Leonardo] to create something really epic. A gigantic statue of a horse in bronze. Leonardo goes all out on this. He creates countless studies, & sketches, he builds a full-size replica in plaster, he even invents a new kind of casting process to make it happen. Then, at the last minute, the duke decides he needs bronze cannons more than a massive bronze horse, & the project is cancelled. Months & months of work wasted. It was a time of set-back after set-back, but Leonardo keeps going. And all the time, every single chance he gets, he’s drawing, & studying, & sketching, & writing & prototyping. And he does this, day in, day out for sixteen years.” … “Pretty much every big achiever in history has this chapter in their story & somehow we forget it…In his book Mastery (2012), which studies the patterns of history’s biggest achievers, Robert Green calls it ‘a largely self-directed apprenticeship that lasts some 5-10 years and receives little attention…’"

Has a dream ever been an impetus for a (good) change you've made in your waking life?  

One of the more recent change-making dreams I've had was yelling at someone "Learning needs to be transformational!" 

1) The yelling part is funny for anyone who knows me well. I don't yell at anyone. Well, nearly no one. 

2) Although I've had the good fortune to be involved in innovative projects over the years, there still is an old schoolmarm in me. 

This challenge to change how I teach, to break down that brick-and-mortar barrier that has stood there for centuries, and to make learning more transformative and relevant for each student, is not easy. 

But brick by brick, I'm doing it. 

“An idea comes, and you see it, and you hear it, and you know it... It comes like on a TV in your mind… People…we want…we don’t do anything without an idea, so they’re beautiful gifts. And I always say you…desiring an idea is like bait on a hook. You can pull them in. And if you catch an idea that you love, that’s a beautiful, beautiful day. And you write that idea down so you won’t forget it. And that idea that you caught might just be a fragment of the whole, whatever it is you’re working on. But now, you have even more bait. Thinking about that small fragment, that little fish, will bring in more…and they’ll come in and they’ll hook on. And more and more come in and, pretty soon, you might have a script, or a chair, or a painting…” - David Lynch

Integritty is finding balance and being able to stand one's ground in the face of all that's off-kilter. It is an inner compass that continually respectfully questions and considers experiences, decides and takes the best route through challenges, obligations, responsibilities. Integritty is the power to stay silent when one needs to be, to make one's voice heard when something needs to be said. Integritty helps one be patient, push through obstacles and pull away from snares. One may never be completely free, but integritty is the guiding force to True and Right. #integrity + #gritty = integritty

To: The perfect team. You know who you are. There's that one member who regularly says "I have an idea!" Another who motivates, who advocates. Others who know when to say "Yes!" and when to say "No." A planner who weighs the pros & cons. The curious one who questions and hungers to learn more. The leader & decision maker who do the right things. The folks who do things right, who value collaboration & communication. The risk taker & prototyper who aren't afraid of failure, who can switch gears easily to problem solve. And all who continually strive to make things better.