Walk Into the Future

Tag: personal-growth

  • Five Minute Thursday: Pruning the Tree

    “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

    (Dr. Seuss)

    The Walk into the Future blog works daily to bring a consistent level to the writing process.  I had to look back at my archives and discovered I haven’t used the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt since April 2025.  I had a nice run going in 2024 but didn’t fully commit to this prompt in 2025.  I’m not sure how much I will leverage it in 2026 but I’m bringing it back now.

    I take an inventory every January as I’m creating my yearly goals to assess folks in my life.  I’ve mentioned in earlier posts that I purposefully remove contact from folks I don’t have regular communication with anymore.

    This Five-Minute Thursday prompt is: Pruning the Tree.

    This concept is not a way to be mean or diminish anyone I had contact with.  We prune rose bushes in early spring to promote new growth, maximize bloom production, and maintain healthy shrubs.  Pruning the rose bush helps it grow, makes it stronger and removes dead wood.

    Now imagine what happens to the tree (me) if I prune off limbs that are no longer beneficial or healthy.  My tree would not continue to grow and provide the shelter or comfort most of my tree branches need in life.  Pruning the tree is a natural process of growth for the tree, generates strong limbs and promotes growth.  The tree becomes stronger and allows the remaining branches to grow, spread and eventually create their own branches.  Yes, this is a longer metaphor than I expected but the concept has merits on growth and moving forward in life.

    How do I know which branches to prune?  Great question tree branches! 😊

    I look for tree branches that are no longer healthy or promote the direction I’m going in life.  This is not a condemnation on any tree branch but there comes time to move forward.  Does the tree branch help grow my Walk into the Future?  Does the tree branch continue to grow and provide comfort to others?  The tree branch must be pruned if the answer to these questions is no.  Simple, huh?

    It’s not that simple but I move on each year from tree branches.  The pruning is needed to enhance my Walk into the Future.  Just like the rose bush, I need continual growth.

    What do you need to prune in 2026?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “One of life’s lessons is always moving on.”

    (Roy T. Bennett)

  • Five Minute Thursday: Leadership (Repost)

    close up of human hand
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    “The writer is the explorer.  Every step is an advance into a new land”.

    (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

    The Walk into The Future blog continues to serve as a vehicle for my creative expression. I started this blogging process to share my thoughts, travels, and adventures.  I find it easy to write about my adventures and then share with my loyal readers.

    There are days when I don’t think I have the inspiration to write another blog article and then I sit down with a specific prompt and the words just come to me.  I would like to say writing these articles is an easy daily process, but I find myself struggling to generate content that I think others will read from time to time.  I write, edit, delete, and then write again to create something worth reading.  This is not all the time but figured I would share I have writing distractions to keep me away from me cranking away on my laptop. 

    Today is not one of those days! 😊

    I went back to a tried-and-true process of identifying a writing prompt to generate a new concept to write about.  One of the prompts I found a while ago was called:  Five Minute Friday.  The intent is to pick a specific word and then write about it for five minutes to create content.  Well, I modified the prompt into Five Minute Thursday since I post on Thursdays at 11:08 am—did you know that? 😊

    My first prompt for Five Minute Thursday is:  Leadership.

    Leadership is a concept that I began to explore while I served in the Air Force.  We were put through a series of leadership courses (Airmen Leadership School, Non-Commissioned Officer Leadership School, Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, etc.) where principles of leadership were shared.  The best leaders I worked with all went through these courses, but they had more than course leadership principles.

    Three of my favorite Air Force Leaders:  Chief Master Sergeant Roger Noyes, Chief Master Sergeant Janet Craton and Senior Master Sergeant Rich Gardner—thanks to them all!

    Developing leadership skills became a priority for me and I explored this topic via books, online trainings, and lectures. 

    I discovered Authentic Leadership almost by mistake.  I wanted my dissertation to focus on First Year Experience (FYE) courses for first generation students.  This would have been an impactful study, but my dissertation mentor told me I couldn’t pursue this topic because it was Educational Psychology, and my program was Organizational Psychology.  I hung my head for a few months before we discovered Authentic Leadership, and the rest is history.

    My earlier introduction to leadership while in the Air Force allowed me to blend things I learned from wearing a uniform into my model of Authentic Leadership.  The great leaders I worked with in the Air Force have been integrated into my version of Authentic Leadership as I incorporate their lessons into my current pursuit of leadership.

    Well, my five minutes is up.  I could keep going but will honor the concept of this writing prompt! 😊

    What can you get done in the next five minutes?  Ok, take off!

    Irie!

    “Writing is the painting of the voice”.

    (Voltaire)