The clouds finally broke overnight. As I walk, I notice the residual dampness drying in patches. It’s the kind of in-between state that doesn’t register unless you’re moving slowly enough to sense variance underfoot. I realize I’ve been waiting for obvious readiness. But sometimes too much waiting becomes its own form of risk.
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.
We often calculate risk only in the direction of action. What if the model is wrong? What if we shift too early? What if people resist? But we rarely calculate the risk of inertia. What does it cost if we change nothing?
In timing-based work, not moving is sometimes the most dangerous position. I once delayed launching a new inquiry capture form out of fear of disruption and changed user experience mid-cycle. Weeks lost and possibly matriculated students lost who could have had a better experience capturing better data if the system had been ready. We never reflected that procrastination into a report. But the loss was real. The flame was ready. I wasn’t.
Caution isn’t just about preventing harm. Sometimes it causes it.
Today, ask yourself where inaction is quietly compounding cost. Name one place where preservation is posing as responsibility. Let your spark speak, and let us know in the comments or DM me. What was that one thing? And how can you push forward now?
Move gently, not urgently. But move. The forge cannot reward hesitation that outlasts clarity.
And that’s The Ember Walk. The forge is yours now. Go make something worth the heat.
