Stressed…or Desserts? #IMMOOC #IMMOOCB1

This image popped up on my Facebook feed from a mentor teacher of mine. I actually had to check the spelling to make sure I wasn’t missing some sort of trick. Yet, there it was. Desserts and stressed, in perfect symmetry.

What I Got; What I Want

In attempting to innovate, I find that we (the dreamers) often set our minds on the finish line without realizing we must run a marathon first. While the finish line is where we achieve our dreams (our new faculty program takes off; our new learning project is a highlight for the students; our new method of teaching in the classroom is a hit), the epic race requires our immediate attention.

Looking that the picture above, I know I would spend my life eating ice cream and cake, leaving those cauliflower florets behind. But there is always stress before tasting victory (eating vegetables is NOT stressful, but just go with the metaphor). As Brene Brown writes about in Daring Greatly, the rumble in our arena is necessary to achieve victory. While the innovative process can be stressful, painful, or even overwhelming, the purpose of innovative thought can be that merengue pie you have been craving. But someone has to gather the ingredients. Someone has to bake the pie. Someone has to stick her/his neck out and share the creation. Each of these steps takes the will to risk failure for the sake of sweet victory.