Our Why: "Find a Calling"

Dear Acton family, 

The beginning of a new year is sure to bring many things – the anticipation of new adventure, the joyful exuberance of a lip dub production, and (sigh) the return of the early morning routine. Amidst this flurry of activity, one thing always seems to find its way back to me. A bit like a perennial flower that had been dormant for a season, it reappears this time of year regardless of whether I consciously pursue it. 

And that is the “why” behind our community, the reason I set my alarm to get up and find my way into this remarkable place each and every morning. My experience in life has been that often the “what” of life can become so consuming that it is easy to lose sight of why we’ve chosen to pursue the very things that fill our calendars. And so as we embark on a new year together, I’d like to take a brief moment to reflect on our “why” here at Acton.  

In the spirit of a socratic guide, rather than giving you an answer, I’d like to pose a question that I heard from a fellow Acton owner and founder. I’ve not been able to shake it since hearing it:  

“How valuable is it for your child to get an education?” he asked. 

I suspect we all have various answers to this question and might even assign different monetary figures to it. 

But then he shifted the question: 

“What if I asked you how valuable it would be for your child to discover a calling?” 

That’s an entirely different question, isn’t it?

If you are anything like me, my educational journey was one where I became adept at fulfilling requirements, checking boxes, and jumping through hoops. And at the end of the line, I found that I had cultivated a transcript filled with grades, but if I’m honest, little else. No sense of self. No identity. No sense of purpose, calling, or direction. 

Regardless of what the grades on that transcript might have said, I can’t help but conclude that the whole charade was a failure. 

All of this brings me back to my alarm clock, and why I will be setting it again tomorrow morning. 

I believe with every bone in my body that there is greatness embedded in each of your young heroes. Something more beautiful, more profound, more valuable and important than we could ever imagine. And so a child’s education must be above all an invitation – an invitation to become the person they were created to be, to discover the greatness within them and find the sacred point where it intersects with the deep hunger of the world – the point of a calling. 

Anything short of this is an injustice. 

So as we stand at the precipice of a new year, I want to cast your eyes back to our “why.” Over the next several days, you will almost certainly be hearing excited reports from your learner about the “what” of their days – the lip dub, quests, studio contracts, core skills, launches, town hall, and much more. These are important and worthy of celebration and reflection. But amidst it all, I want to encourage you to remember the why. The “whats” will inevitably have ups and downs – victories and defeats, conflicts and resolutions. But it’s the “why” that will inspire and sustain you over the long term, much like the roots of that perennial flower, quietly compelling it to bloom in the fullness of its glory each and every spring.