There Can Be Only One...

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. -Isaac Newton

As a psychologist and behavior analyst, I often find that in my career I have been fortunate to stand on such shoulders. I have had the luxury of consulting for almost 20 years, and during that time I have been fortunate to have met many talented professionals, teachers, administrators, and community members. And I have learned a lot from all of them.  I have seen how they handle challenges, what works, what doesn't (and what really doesn't!) Do any of you remember the movie "The Highlander" with Christopher Lambert? Do you remember the prize? Ultimate power and knowledge! Connor MacLeod was able to hear what everyone was thinking about everything. Some days, my job as a consultant felt a lot like that (minus the swordplay). 

But as much as I have learned from all of those professionals, it does not even begin to come close to what I have learned from working with families. Have you ever gone house hunting? Or perhaps watched house hunting shows on television just so see how others live? I have gotten to do that with the families I have worked with through consultation, I get to peek into their lives. It is a privilege I have held very dear all these years. Here are two things I have learned in that time: 1] no two families are alike and 2] despite various challenges they have all faced, somehow they found a way to make it work for them. That is what it is all about in the end, making it work for YOU. It makes you approach life differently, it makes the comparisons stop and the idea of "customized" start. Ultimate knowledge is overrated in my opinion. Self knowledge is where it's at. I wish you all a life that is "customized" to what makes you happy, so that the rest of us can sit on your shoulders for a while and learn.