Finding the Right “Y”

Over the weekend, as I was trying to set up a little sound recording area at home, I struggled to find the “Y” I needed to connect my Mackie mixer to my computer. I dug through a container of wires, looked on every shelf in the garage, and opened random boxes in search of the “Y” I needed to complete this project. I did find a “Y”, but it was not the “Y” I needed. As I went into my classroom to search my box of cables there I made a discovery: my other Mackie mixer. Same mixer, but different output … I had the correct “Y” all along, but I had been trying to use my “Y” with the incorrect mixer.

As I thought about the time I spent looking for the “Y” I thought I needed I began to wonder how many people spend so much time looking for their Why in the wrong place or trying to figure out how to make their Why work in the wrong environment.

How often do we sit looking through our metaphorical box of wires searching for the answer to our problems only to come up empty. This box is representative of items that worked at one time. Items that were once so valuable, but have now been relegated to a box of “what used to be” and e just cannot seem to let it go because the answer just might be in there, someday.

The box of historical wires did not hold the answer, but that did not stop my quest to find the “Y” I thought I needed. I was so laser focused on the exact “Y” I thought I needed I refused to think there may be another option.

As my quest for my “Y” took me to my empty classroom where I have another stash of historical items I just cannot release I stumbled on the answer I did not know I had. A mixer, that matched the “Y” I thought I did not need.

Too often we try to make our why fit in places in which they are incompatible. Try as we might, our why just is not satisfied or our why just is not the answer. It does not mean our why is bad … just incompatible and sometimes that makes us unhappy without us really knowing it.

As the school year ends and teachers begin their break, some will be questioning their Why. They will be wondering if going back is the best thing for their Why and their happiness. Finding the place where your Why is welcomed and appreciated is key to your happiness as an educator. You do not want to spend your time looking in a box of junk for the effective use of your Why. There is nothing wrong with your Why … maybe you just need the correct fit for your Why.