Connect with What Matters

I hope that this summer you were able to take the time to get in touch with your younger self.  I believe that as adults it is vital to our happiness and stability to remember what it is like to be a kid and the best way to do that is to take time to do just that, go be a kid again.  Kevin Carroll (@kckatalyst)has made a huge impact on my thinking related to the importance of never losing the desire to go play.

​Kevin does not know it but he and I have a connection through a common person and this person unknowingly introduced me to Kevin’s approach to life.  Although at different times, Kevin and I were mentored by Randy Matthews as student athletic trainers at Angelo State University.  Kevin had already graduated and was working for the Philadelphia 76ers when I arrived to ASU but Kevin’s story was still a part of the athletic training room.  Randy would share Kevin stories and every now and then there would be a phone call between Kevin and Randy.  Randy would laugh and share the stories that Kevin told and then he would talk about how proud he was of Kevin.  

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Eventually I met Kevin when he came to Texas in the early 2000’s to share his story and his new life role as a Katalyst.  You need to understand that Kevin’s approach to life was so different that he was recruited from the Philadelphia 76ers for a job that did not even exist yet.  Kevin wrote his own job description with Nike.  I encourage you to learn more about his story and about his inspiration by looking here and by listening to this podcast with Kevin posted on April 7, 2016.

The reason I am sharing the back story about Kevin is so that you better understand my thinking.  You see, ever since I met and listened to Kevin I have always been reminded to stay in touch with my inner child.  I have always been reminded of the importance of play.

​As an educator I believe it is important to stay in touch with being a kid because it keeps you grounded on your student’s perspectives.  Isn’t that what we are doing this for, to help kids?  How better to help kids than to remember their perspectives through staying in touch with what it means to be a kid?  How they think, what is important to them, how the world looks through their eyes.

There is always time for you to go ride a bike, go for a walk, play in the sprinkler, look up at the clouds and decide what animals and creatures you see, or just sit and get lost in your thoughts for a while.  Don’t forget to look up at the stars and wonder about just how big the universe really is and what will you do to make an impact.  By doing these things you will make a positive impact each day for yourself and that in turn will make a positive impact for the students you serve.
 
Connect with what matters.
 
Jeff