THE POWER OF MOMENTS HOW TO
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So why don't we do it more? In addition to seeing people more clearly, words can help us to identify the unseen forces that get in our way. And shared struggle can be a source of powerful connection. It's where we gain insight and feel pride. As articulated throughout the book, stretching elevates us above the everyday. Name It to See It: As I have shared many times throughout this blog, stretching outside one's comfort zone plays into the work we do and the way in which we try to live. It's not easy because it requires attention as well as vulnerability, but the results so far seem to be paying off. After being married for fifteen years and in business together for ten, we realize that we still need to work on really seeing and recognizing each other. So why do I need to point it out? On the flip side, how many times have you felt unappreciated or felt that your skills and work are taken for granted? In many of those situations, I've felt that even a simple acknowledgement would have satisfied me. We sometimes get lazy and assume that our partner will do X because he's good at it. You've probably partnered with someone because they complement your strengths and weaknesses. It applies even to a two person company like ours in which your business partner is also your spouse. This obviously goes for companies as well as schools. Seeing others can be as simple as saying, 'I saw what you did and I appreciate it.' As the Heath brothers identify, recognizing others needs to be personal and authentic, not programmatic. One of the schools created a recognition program that became a token, check-the-box type program that made no one feel good. I taught in three different high schools in my teaching career and in only one did I get the sense that the administrators had any idea of how/what I taught. We need to see the important work of educational professionals in schools, afterschool programs, libraries and camps who go above and beyond the 'forgettable flatness' for the benefit of students. In the examples I mentioned above, the ideas came from motivated, creative teachers. There needs to be systemic shifts to fix problems in our education system, but grass roots efforts can work, too.

How can we provide them with more powerful moments of elevation, insight, pride, and connection in which they are seen?

THE POWER OF MOMENTS HOW TO

I fear that the ever increasing focus on testing along with larger and larger class sizes has led to graduates not knowing how to value themselves other than a test score and not feeling valued by adults other than maybe their parents. Recently, a concerned parent told me about their teenager wanting to take a gap year after they graduate to recover from the stress of high school and another talked about her son taking a break after his sophomore year of college because after two years he still lacked direction. But these seem to be exceptions in our school systems. The book contained inspiring stories of defining academic moments like one school's 'Senior Signing Day' or another's 'Trial of Human Nature' or another school's implementation of home visits. The need exists for adults as well as our students whose value is often reduced to a test score.

THE POWER OF MOMENTS FULL

See and Be Seen: As we become more attached to our phones and big data reduces us each down to a set of data points to be run through algorithms, there seems to be a growing need to feel seen as an individual full of skills and talents.

These elements make sense, but a few themes captured my attention because they have been coming up in other things that I've been reading and reflecting on lately. They organized research and stories around four elements that contribute to a defining moment or 'a short experience that is both memorable and meaningful.' Elevation, insight, pride, and connection contribute to making moments matter. I've enjoyed previous books by Chip and Dan Heath and this one didn't disappoint. I knew this book would be a good fit when it encouraged the reader to 'defy the forgettable flatness of everyday work and life by creating a few precious moments.' Our workshops and keynotes have generated powerful, impactful moments, but I wanted to gain a better sense of how to plan for and create them more intentionally. The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impactīecause our company claims to 'shake up the day to day,' the subtitle of this book got my attention.

The power of moments