Keeping it Real

In the big picture, intentions are nearly as valuable as results....perhaps even more.

In my daily work with teens, I often encounter minor confrontations when my insistence on following directions is challenged with empty motion, devoid of intention.  A message like "read this story", to a disengaged student, can become "stare at the page and think of something else while my eyes glaze over the words".

When I call them on it, the argument from my misguided students usually sounds like: "What's the difference?  It's getting done, right?"  Done?  Perhaps.  That's arguable.  It's not authentic though....it's not real.

The difference, subtle as it may be (by their perceptions), means EVERYTHING.

In our world, there is training, and there is TRAINING.  You could train for a year and still be just as terrible at the end as you were when the year began unless you really TRAINED with the intention of operating at level 10, of setting a personal best, or of (insert your metaphor for all-out performance here).

What's the difference?  Well, for us, it's the gap between where we began and where we are going.  I hope that, after nearly a year, you are finding yourself to be in a different place than where you began.

If not, there's still time. 

Keep it real, my friends.  That intention will drive you to create results. :)