Welcome to the Wolff Learning Blog!
Shoot your shot
W- Work ethic
O- Off time
L- Lead/live with integrity
F- Find your passion
F- Find a way
Wayne Gretzky, one of the best hockey players to ever play, once famously said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take."
Shoot your shot.
Shooting your shot falls under two of the Wolff Way principles: Find Your Passion and Find a Way.
When we find our passion, it becomes easier to find purpose in our lives and in our work. When we find purpose, we feel alive.
When we feel alive, we put more effort into the tasks in front of us, often setting and achieving goals with greater frequency. There's more pep in our step. Quite frankly, it feels good having the energy and wind behind us to get after it.
It’s not uncommon to go through highs and lows in our lives and workplaces. There are normal ebbs and flows we all experience. We all go through struggles. If you're going through a tough time, find something you're passionate about. Find your purpose. If you're lucky, your purpose aligns with the ability to put a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back. It could be helping others, getting behind a movement you believe in, or picking up a new skill to start or advance in your career.
This past week, our family was fortunate to visit Walt Disney World. In the Magic Kingdom, there is a presentation with fireworks at night. Our family watched the show, which was really cool. There was a digital light show projected onto the castle and a number of inspirational words spoken to the crowd. To paraphrase one of the messages: Unlock your magic and follow your dreams. I couldn’t help but say out loud, “I’m working on it.”
It is a privilege to serve the people in my school community as a Director of Human Resources. Educating and inspiring others with Wolff Learning supplements my job. Working with kids and educators is my passion.
This may change at different stages of our lives. Things can become stale. Know that you and your purpose may change as you get older or experience a life-changing event. The key is to keep searching and improving.
We all have magic. We all have talents that are waiting to be unlocked. Find yours.
When you find your passion and purpose, it may become clearer (not necessarily easier!) to find ways to get the job done. Finding a way often requires us to get off the porch. Getting off the porch means taking a healthy risk and shooting your shot. This might involve starting your own plumbing business after learning the trade. It could mean acquiring more skills in your career for a new position. It might even be starting your own law firm after honing your skills in law.
Getting off the porch is a healthy risk. Sure, we can take mini-steps off the porch, but leaps require a level of planning and commitment. A good example is when my brother Greg was working in a manual labor job. He decided one day it wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Jobs like these are needed and admirable, but he knew it wasn’t for him. He got off the porch, earned an associate’s degree, and became a firefighter, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Later in his career, he got off the porch again by starting his own business, Safety Services and Consulting in Dunmore, PA. He shot his shot. And he made it.
We all have skills and talents to follow our passion. We all can find a way to get the job done.
Find your passion. Find your purpose. Get the wind behind your sails. Get off the porch.
Shoot your shot.
