In his book “What’s Next is Now,” author Frederik G. Pferdt asserts that certain traits can help shape our futures — things like embracing experimentation or being continually curious about the world. One of my favorite parts: Pferdt, Google’s first chief innovation evangelist, says we all have what he labels as “Dimension X.”
Call it what you want — the “it factor” or the secret sauce, but Dimension X is essentially a defining trait that makes you, you. It’s more than just an adjective like funny, smart or savage, but rather something that captures your spirit (you always know the right thing to say, you come up with solutions to every problem, you can apply a Taylor Swift lyric to every life situation).
As you navigate your college career (or, perhaps, as you have “the time of your life fighting dragons”), it’s worth zooming in on your Dimension X. It can guide you, help you make decisions and nudge you to figure out what you want to do next. Why? Pferdt asserts that when you know your Dimension X, it acts as a fluid guidepost for life’s questions.
Problem with a course… How would your Dimension X handle it? Thinking about changing majors… How does your Dimension X align with it? Unsure of life after college… Your Dimension X would like a word with you.
Pferdt has a process to help you identify yours: Think about major moments in your life (not milestones like high school graduation, but perhaps one when you had to show resilience). How did you respond? Do you see some common themes in those responses? In addition, ask people close to you what they think your “it factor” is. Start finding patterns, and then try to articulate in a few words what you discover.
When I think about star students from my 23 plus years at UF, their Dimension X bubbles up: the nonfiction writers who had a songwriter’s style and a poet’s imagination; the thinkers who asked the unexpected questions; the creatives who imagined new ideas with every assignment; the go-getters who sat in the front and engaged with our guest speakers; the reporters who never stopped digging.
One student in my class 15 years ago had one I won’t forget. At the time, I knew what her Dimension X was, though I surely didn’t have a name for it. Every time classmates spoke, she turned her whole body toward them. She opened her eyes wide, she nodded, she laughed, she responded, she connected in a way that energized everybody. She cared.
That’s not a trait I can tangibly define. But it certainly is something I could — and still do — feel.
This is not an exercise in ego or an encouragement to articulate a selling point for job interviews, but rather a tool to harness your own uniqueness when you need it.
Of course, the goal this semester — and during your college career — isn’t simply to rise to the top with your Dimension X trait. It’s to learn, engage, grow and hurdle-hop your way to the end of April and prepare for what’s next. Everyone will have different ways for doing so, but if I can offer three suggestions to add to your to-do list that’s longer than the line trying to get into the Tennessee game (too soon?), I’d encourage you to try these:
Beat deadlines. We all (students and faculty alike) push our work as close to the deadline as possible. But what if you try just for one assignment or one course to not just meet deadlines, but really beat them?
Work ahead and give yourself wiggle room. It may be the single best thing you can do to calm the cerebral chaos you can feel during the semester.
It’s also OK to take your time too; creative tasks need simmering in order to boil. Writing coach Roy Peter Clark suggests that we reframe procrastination as “rehearsal,” and classify it as needing time to prepare to do our best work.
Promise yourself recharges. At least one hour a week, do something that’s quiet, that’s by yourself, that’s good for your brain and body. A hike, yoga, a bike ride, a walk. Your brain needs rest in order to be juiced for the hard effort.
Meet and connect. If you haven’t met one-on-one with a faculty member, reach out this semester. Ask someone in your department or a professor from an elective you especially liked or a faculty member you’ve run across who has a hobby similar to yours. You never know what opportunities await or what ideas will arise when you connect with people outside of your usual circle. And if you don’t know where to start, drop me a note at tspiker@ufl.edu.
*Disclosure: ChatGPT assisted in finding an applicable Swiftie lyric.
Ted Spiker is the associate dean for undergraduate affairs in the College of Journalism and Communications
