Week 4 Response to Joanna Puello

Photo by Patricia Ort

Joanna,

   The Zander’s book must be especially meaningful to you as you share their love of music and art. You must relate really well, too, to the relationship they have with each other.  Will finishing your EMDT masters impact the conversation you and your husband have been having about the life-changing decisions you mentioned?  I can relate with your quandary about how to get “from here to there.”  I really love working with technology in the classroom and would love to train teachers in this area, but there are always considerations about what path to take. There is also the balancing of what I think is best for my family with what might be best for my career.  You have shown a lot of energy and creativity throughout your ARP. I am sure you will be able to avoid that downward spiral and make the most of the possibilities that present themselves to you.

Joanna wrote:

My husband is an amazingly talented artist in many realms. He paints, draws, sings professionally, writes his own music, and gives seminars. He’s also his own boss. I’m an artist of a different sort. I write, play two instruments, act, and love to make my physical environment an inspirational place to be. We’ve been “self-employed” for years, and we’ve also been “self-UNemployed” many of times. Because we often have to pursue opportunities for income, it’s easy to feel frustrated and loose passion about the big vision. Or sometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the big vision that we can’t see the next step. My husband has encountered endless obstacles in his musical career, and during the past two years, we have butted heads many times over what his long-term goals should be. My biggest desire for him is for him to be able to use his talents and abilities in their maximum expression. Obviously, he wants this, too. The question is how to get from here to there. In my opinion, the discussion and conflict that has revolved around this topic has been very healthy for both of us (even when it’s been hard). We’re still working through the details on some life-changing decisions, so I was extremely inspired when I read this remarkable quote in Chapter 11: Creating Frameworks for Possibility: “The foremost challenge for leaders today…is to maintain the clarity to stand confidently…no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how stark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge.” (Zander, p. 163)