284: Crossroads: Assessing a Life at the Intersection of This Way or That Way
“I’ve been thinking a lot about my own crossroad moments lately – those points in time when I engaged in something that shaped me forever. You begin to reflect on those moments when you start using a single candle on your birthday cake to represent every 10 years of your life.” — Jeff
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Summary
This week, something different. As we approach Thanksgiving, I find myself in a contemplative mood. So, I’m solo this week, starting what could become a lengthy exercise that will have me unwrapping and considering the package that is my life in 15 crossroad moments – moments when I could have gone this way or that way. Talk about being curious.
Jeff’s Crossroad Topics
Punching the clock: newspapers, groceries, and dishes
Book of the Month Club
Earning my keep at home
Neighborhood explorer
The U-505: life foreshadowed in a German submarine
Montana: killing spiders, stacking wood, and landing on the moon
Discovering agency: a sawdust puppet, no more model airplanes, and a road trip
The last parking meter
Quetico: biting insects, muddy portages, and reflections
A vision on a staircase
“No” and a box of chocolates
Coached
Perfection and Da Vinci’s “Last Supper”
A conversation in a small café in Vermont
Death and Decluttering
Referenced
The Great Bridge by David McCullough
About Jeff
Jeff Ikler is the Director of Quetico Leadership and Career Coaching. “Quetico” (KWEH-teh-co). He works with leaders in all aspects of life to identify and overcome obstacles in their desired future. He came to the field of coaching after a 35-year career in educational publishing. Prior to his career in educational publishing, Jeff taught high school U.S. history and government.
Jeff has hosted the “Getting Unstuck—Cultivating Curiosity” podcast for 5 years. The guests and topics he explores are designed to help listeners think differently about the familiar and welcome the new as something to consider. He is also the co-host of the Cultivating Resilience – A Whole Community Approach to Alleviating Trauma in Schools, which promotes mental health and overall wellness.
Jeff co-authored Shifting: How School Leaders Can Create a Culture of Change. Shifting integrates leadership development and change mechanics in a three-part change framework to help guide school leaders and their teams toward productive change.
Show Credits
"Getting Unstuck" is commercial-free. It’s brought to you by Jeff Ikler, his amazing guests, and Neil Hughes, the best engineer a podcaster could ask for.
"Getting Unstuck" theme music: Original composition of "Allegro ben ritmato e deciso" by George Gershwin. Arrangement and recording courtesy of Bruno Lecoeur.