Unleash the weirdo

Celebrating our ability to enchant

Hello Hedge Schoolers,

This week is a topic that is dear to my heart. As an educator, I cringe often at the system I find myself working in. A system purposefully built for emulation and competition. When my daughter started at school, I told her teacher that my sole desire for her education was that she left with the same spirit and curiosity for the world around her as she had then as a five-year-old. Fan the flames, don’t douse the magic. So this inquiry is a celebration of the magic we are all gifted to bring to the world. And it is better than better.

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What's better than better?

Better can be outdone. Can be eclipsed and replaced by a new better. In a world of competition, we aim to best others. But are then disheartened when we find another has bested our once monumental performance. Better is a sharp point with many vying for the limited real estate at the top.

A race to the top of sameness. But just a little better.

So what's better than better?

Different.

Different is better (pardon the pun).

It's built into our biology. You are a once in a lifetime event. A beautiful snowflake (aww!!).

Whether you chose to believe it or not, a lot has conspired to bring you to consciousness in this form.

Consciousness with a unique gift for the world. A gift you most likely will spend a lifetime looking to find and unveil.

But it has and always has been right in front of you.

But we have the Accelerator and the Brakes on at the same time.

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Opposing forces

No one person is the same.

This is a feature, not a design fault.

Our challenge lies in the fact that we have created constructs for fitting in.

Cultural.

Educational.

Societal.

Religious.

They all impose a line to toe. And we find ourselves in comparison wars vying for some supposed top of the ladder or assimilation.

Another challenge that we face is that these constructs over time coupled with our biological drive to survive at all costs have led to what French Philosopher René Girard calls Mimesis. We copy as our first move. We don’t move until others have moved. Until it is safe to move.

So on one hand we are delightfully unique but on the other, we look to squash that at the first move.

We have our foot on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.

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Ancestral Owings

But being different is the brave move.

And we owe it to those who came before us.

We owe it to those who are yet to come.

There is too much at stake, and we represent too long a lineage of lives lived and half lived who are cheering us on. Our work is a measure not only of our own lives but of all those who came before us and created the world we inherit.
David Whyte - Crossing the Unknown Sea

Don't breathe your last breath filled with deathbed regrets.

Live into the edges of your life. For many before paved the way for your glimpse on the stage of life.

So locate your weirdness.

Celebrate that weirdness.

Celebrate it with a rapture that comes from living fully into the gift that is life in your form.

And that deliberate you is damn enchanting.

Your own flavour.

Your own signature sound.

Keen to start?

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Finding your fascinating

Author Sally Hogshead has devoted a lifetime to helping people uncover their magic. In her book, "How the world sees you", Sally outlines seven archetypes that are useful for people to uncover their magic. Built from the assessments of over a million people, the archetypes are useful as a launchpad. A great space to begin the inquiry.

You can complete the assessment here.

My archetype was not what I thought it would be. Power and Prestige were the two archetypes that best fit my personality.

According to this assessment, I am ambitious, focused, confident, uncompromising, and formidable. Not always. I am though when I am in a leadership role. A role I am really comfortable with. Those five adjectives also describe how I am in deep flow.

Those moments of spontaneous eruption where the magic just flows through me and I have no idea where it comes from. Those awesome moments!

Within the walls of these constructs, I was able to really uncover a few hidden gems. For one, I've landed on a tagline that has driven my journey over the last few years.

I am dedicated to reimagining learnedness.

Unbeknownst to me, it is a calling that has guided me through every step of my life. When I lean into my highest excitement, it is about creating space for dialogue between old and new wisdom. For the alchemy of these conversations and learnings to ignite the flames of living.

For me.

For others.

Not bad for an online assessment.

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What makes you different?

Comb the sea of nuance that is your existence and see what gold shows up.

Love to hear from you, so comment below.

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From my heart to yours,

Steve