“I wanna go straight, and you’re telling me to turn right? Are you shittin’ me!?” A kind comment from this week in the intersection. No joke.
“I wanna be a pirate,” I said, under my breath as they drove away at maximum speed through the parking lot next to a school building, “but we can’t all have what we want.”
We all want things.
We want things to happen. Things to use. Things to make other things happen, and so on.
- Can you always have what you want?
- Did everyone understand you this week?
- Did others hear you when you spoke?
- Were you able to function at your highest potential?
- Were you given the chance to be part of the solution?
- Did you do your part?
Were you embarrassed, undermined, misunderstood, no respect, exhausted, out of resources, lacking sleep, tired, thirsty, in the woods without a map?
We all want what we want.
So, did you get what you wanted this week?
Of course not. And no one does.
How can you help others get what they want? It might be worth a try for next week…
I used to ask this of my students all the time when I was a classroom teacher, especially those who needed additional guidance:
“Is what you’re doing now, getting you what you want?”
That prompt often (most of the time, anyways) got them to think about actions & consequences.
“What do you want me to say, about you, when they call for a reference? Your choice.”