Be the willow, my friend

Photo by Kasia (mysza83)

“Fear tells us what we have to do…the more scared we are of a work or a calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.” – Steven Pressfield

Too often, though, people freeze when faced with fear. But, what makes us fearful in the first place?

Uncertainty makes us uneasy because it reminds us that we do not have full control on the outcomes. When faced with the unfamiliar, we seek comfort in the elusiveness of certainty, only to realize that the unpredictability is too burdensome. So we give up.  

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  It all starts with the understanding that uncertainty is a constant: When faced with unfamiliarity, uncertainty is inevitable. So we have no other option but to embrace it.

The great Bruce Lee had this all figured out; he looked for answers by learning from the best teacher: Nature. In one of his most memorable quotes, he tells us that when we resist the hurdles that life throws at us, we’re like a stiff tree at the mercy of the elements; yet, when we choose to be the bamboo or the willow we become flexible, we become one with the very elements that we felt threatened by.

Adaptability is key and this is no different in education.  As Pedro explained in this recent article, project-based learning is an open-ended and organic process that does not come with textbook answers. And that is the beauty of it. It is relevant because it exposes learners to REAL problems.

When tackling these challenges, we need to be the willows and let uncertainty motivate us to ask the right questions and be open to different solutions.