This is the 4th article in a series in which I explore my core values and how they relate to the core values of the college I founded. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or would like to share your own stories, I’d love to hear them! Please share below.
One of my favorite things is connecting people. I love that moment when I’m introducing two people from either side of my life, and all of a sudden things sort of cosmically collide. Two worlds suddenly merge and you're sitting there trying to explain to each person how you know the other, all the while laughing at the complicated nature of your relationships. It is hard to deny that there is something magical about these moments. Wayfinding Academy is built on hundreds of those connecting moments all tangled together. When I look at the long list of our founding team members, students, faculty, Luminaries, and crew, my head spins at all that aligned for these amazing people to become a part of the Wayfinding community. I asked one of those life changing connections, my friend, artist Gina Lorubbio, to help me create the “Magic of Connections” illustration as a means of untangling parts of that knot and to demonstrate how building a network of like-minded people can change the direction of your life.
Let’s look at an example…locate my friend Tina in the illustration…
I met Tina when I first moved to Portland to start teaching at Concordia University. I had just built my tiny house and was looking for somewhere to park it. I circulated a flier around the college asking if anyone would be interested in letting me rent a space in their backyard. One of the people to see the flier was Tina who reached out to say “welcome to the community!”
Over several years Tina and I became “yes friends.” When I tell her I am planning something important, she is there right beside me with no (or few) questions asked. When I organized the first TEDxMtHood event, Tina volunteered on our event day staff. The following year, she became a member of the planning team then stepped into the role of license holder for us. When I started working with the World Domination Summit (WDS), she volunteered for that too. When I started Wayfinding, Tina quit her job to become Wayfinding's first ever employee and she replaced me as a core WDS team member.
Tina’s path to Wayfinding is similar to so many of our founding members and community. Most of this network is made up of these “yes friends.” People who follow their values and find like-minded communities to become part of a process of co-creating something worth caring about. I deeply appreciate all of them. One thing I always try to remind students of is that life is long and winding - you never know how or when the people you meet will show up again.
The pandemic has made creating new relationships difficult. I’ve found it important, now more than ever, to tap into our local communities for inspiration. Wherever you live, there are people who play the role of convener. If you are not that person in your community right now, find the people who are and join their things. Tap into your neighborhood’s efforts to connect with neighbors, or pay attention to your work/school community events, and there you are likely to find the community members who can become your “yes friends.” Once these connections are made and the seeds of a heart-driven idea are planted in the heads of passionate, like-minded people - the possibilities become endless.
If you would like to learn more about Wayfinding Academy and the fight to revolutionize higher education please visit wayfindingacademy.org
If you would like to learn more about me or my thoughts on alternative higher education check me out on my social media pages:
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