Who Is Leading You Today?
Who Is Leading You Today?
A WEEKEND REFLECTION
A reflection on ambition, pressure, creativity, and the strategic moments that allow us to change direction.
By Dr. Ehssan Aljohani
Not every important moment arrives as an emergency. Some arrive quietly, asking us to notice how we are working, what the pressure is costing us, and whether it is time to choose a different pace.
When pressure and preparation meet at a crossroads, who leads the way?
TWO WAYS OF MOVING THROUGH WORK
ABDULMAHSEN💫
Creative. Hardworking. Dedicated. A high achiever. Ambitious.
He wants to do everything well, but stress has filled his mind. He cannot think as clearly or create as freely. Tasks he once might have enjoyed now feel heavy.
MISS TURTLE 🐢
Slow. Prepared. Curious. Grounded. Protective of her boundaries.
She prepares in advance, does what she can, and refuses to let everything rush her. Her pace gives her room to notice, learn, and choose.
WHEN MISS TURTLE APPEARS
Miss Turtle does not appear in the middle of an emergency. She appears in strategic times: the moments that are not necessarily urgent, but are deeply important.
These are the moments when we still have room to pause, make a shift, or take a turn before pressure chooses the direction for us.
This is one of those moments. The semester is moving, submission dates are approaching, and stress may be getting louder.
You do not need to wait for a crisis to change how you work. This can be your turning point.
PART ONE: NOTICE
WHO IS LEADING YOU NOW?
We all carry something of Abdulmahsen and something of Miss Turtle. This is not a test of which character is better. It is an invitation to notice which one is currently shaping your experience.
Which character are you currently more like: Abdulmahsen, Miss Turtle, or a mixture of both? Explain what you notice.
Take a moment to write your reflection.
Which character would you like to become during the coming weeks of the semester? Why?Take a moment to write your reflection.
What would need to change for you to work in that way?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
PART TWO: REMEMBER
JOY OR STRESS?
Think of the last time you genuinely enjoyed completing a task. It may have been academic, professional, creative, or personal.
What were you doing, and how did it feel while you were doing it?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
Were you working mainly from joy, curiosity, meaning, pressure, or fear? What made that experience different?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
PART THREE: TURN
YOUR STRATEGIC MOMENT
Choose one upcoming task or submission. Do not treat it as an emergency. Look at it as a strategic moment in which you can decide how you want to work and who you want to be while doing it.
What is the task?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
What is the smallest meaningful step you can take this weekend?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
What can you prepare now so that your future self does not have to rush?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
What boundary will protect your time, attention, or energy?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
How could you bring a little more curiosity, creativity, or joy into this task?
Take a moment to write your reflection.
CHOOSE YOUR WAY FORWARD
Complete this sentence:
This weekend, I choose to move forward as __________ by __________.
You do not need to finish everything this weekend.
You only need to make one thoughtful turn.
Estimated reflection time: 15 minutes
Dr. Ehssan Aljohani
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