It’s still dark enough that the streetlights stay on, but there’s just enough morning glow to reflect off the windows. The air doesn’t feel cold or warm, just suspended. My stride settles before I notice it does. Today feels like the moment between inhale and exhale, not uncomfortable, just undecided. I think about how often I react before I fully register what something means.
You’re joining me on The Ember Walk, where curiosity meets motion. I’m David Dysart. Together we’ll take a few minutes to step through one idea that shapes the craft of enrollment.
Heat isn’t the same as light. Heat is reaction. Light is clarity. Too many of us make decisions in heat, confusing urgency for truth. I’ve sat in meetings where pressure built before information did. We convinced ourselves the situation demanded action, but all it demanded was understanding. The best smiths wait just long enough to see how the flame reveals shape before they strike. You don’t strengthen metal by swinging harder; you strengthen it by aligning your strike to the direction the heat teaches.
In higher ed, we mistake urgent signals for important ones. A sudden dip in engagement might be heat. But light might be the long-term trend shaping future behavior. Interpretation requires holding data long enough to see what endures past the flashpoint.
When I started modeling, my biggest mistake was valuing volatility. I reacted to every spike. Now I look for what stays true once the noise settles. That’s what guides a year, not what poses threat for a day.
Today, before you respond to pressure, ask: “Is this heat or is this light?” One pushes you. One guides you. Let your spark speak, and let us know in the comments or DM me. What was that one thing? And did you have to wait for the light behind the heat?
Let answers come at the pace of clarity, not urgency. The forge respects those who wait for the right glow before they raise the hammer.
And that’s The Ember Walk. The forge is yours now. Go make something worth the heat.
