Mindful Monday: Be an Encourager

As we enter the last nine weeks of the school year, I can't help but feel like we still have a lot of school left. There will absolutely be days that we feel like we are climbing uphill. So I come to you asking you to encourage those around you.

 

Encourage your co-workers. Encourage the teacher down the hallway. Encourage your students. Encourage them on the hard days. Encourage them when they need a pick-me up. Encourage them when they can't see the greatness that you see inside of them. 

It's easy to criticize. It's easy to judge. It's easy to find the flaws. I challenge you to buck the system, swim upstream, and go against the flow. Be the one to encourage, not criticize. 

We are wired to do hard things. So as we buckle down to finish this year strong, encourage one another. 

Mindful Monday: Remember Your Greater Purpose

Between the time change and having the last nine days off, I'm all out of sorts. Not to mention, I'm not all that jazzed about the to-do list I have waiting for me.

To-do lists can seem mundane. They can seem tiresome. Often, they are full of tasks that we "have" to do, not necessarily full of things that we "want" to do. But here's the thing, it wasn't until I ran across this tweet from

@aaron_hogan

 that I had a shift in my feelings about returning back today. He wrote, "It seems really simple, but writing out a purpose statement above my to-do list can shift my mindset around those tasks considerably. The mundane becomes meaningful in the context of a greater purpose."

When I read it, it was such a lightbulb moment for me. Too often my to-do lists, whether at home or at school, become tedious. I become focused on the minutiae. It is only when I am able to take a step back and see the bigger picture or the greater purpose that I am able to meet the day head on.

Here's wishing you a fantastic week back where you can keep focused on your greater purpose as you take on your not always so fun to-do lists.