Mindful Monday: Your Purpose

We are nearing the halfway point of the school year.  And if you haven't had a stumble or two, I'd be surprised. If you're not feeling tired, I'd be shocked. Teaching is hard. Molding the future is demanding. Managing students is next level tiresome. To say what we do is tough, would be an understatement. 

I don't say all this to make you feel worse or defeated. I say this because what we do is important work. I say this because what we do matters. I say this because perhaps your purpose is even bigger than you imagined. 

You are in this line of work for a reason. You are here by design. So, thank you for showing up. Thank you for not giving up. And thank you for rising to the occasion. 

When it gets hard, I simply ask you to remember that you're not in this alone.

 

MIndful Monday: Grateful for Kindness

We are wired for connection. We need each other. So in honor of World Kindness Day, I wanted to share my favorite ways I have seen our staff show up for each other in amazingly kind ways. 

This first act of kindness is my absolute favorite. Thank you to each and every one of you that takes the extra 10 seconds in the hallway to look up, make eye contact, and check in. Each "Hi", "Good Morning", "Happy Friday!", and so on really says "Hey- I see you." 👍

This next act of kindness is often unexpected, but oh so appreciated.  A shout out to all the co-workers that check your mailbox when they go to check their own. 👊

Which leads me to the life saving staff members that pick up your copies off the copy machine that you forgot to grab for your next lesson happening in 10 mins. 

✋🤚

And finally, the cherry on top act of kindness that is so good it can earn you best friend status goes to the teammates that stop by Starbucks or QT and pick YOU up an unexpected beverage on their way to work.  👏

For all these examples and so many more, thank you for helping make kindness the norm 365 days a year.

If you have an extra two minutes today, I encourage you to check out both Mr. Rogers and Bill and Ted's messages on kindness. And for my PreK-2 teachers, consider sharing the Kindness is a Muscle video.

Mr. Rogers Kindness Video (1:05)

Bill and Ted Be Kind (0:57)

Kindness is a Muscle (PreK-2 Song)

Mindful Monday: Intentional Interactions

Teachers and parents, alike, go out of their way to make memories for the children in their lives. We plan special activities. We make magic happen behind the scenes and are constantly looking to make memorable moments. 

But here's the thing. No matter what extravagant gifts my children receive or how many places we go on vacation, it never ceases to amaze me that often their favorite memory is not what I planned or fretted about. It's often the little moments. The laughs had. The quality time spent together. 

My point is this, the "little" moments matter. Be intentional with your interactions because we don't get to choose what they remember. 

This week I challenge you to make each and every student in your care feel seen. Make them smile and if at all possible, laugh. This could very well be the week a student remembers you for the rest of their lives for all the right reasons. 

Mindful Monday: Doing It All

Why is it we try to do it all to the point of exhaustion? Why do we feel the need to be everything to everyone all of the time? Why do we fall into the trap of "shoulds"? 

Here's the deal...

-We can't do it all. 

-We can't be everything to everyone. 

-And living in the land of "shoulds" will in fact make us crazy.

But here's the craziest part of all. I know there are only 24 hours in a day. I know to be at my best that I must put myself first. And I logically know I can't do it all. I know all these things to be true. And yet, somehow my logical side completely escapes me, and I feel like I am the exception to the rule. For some ridiculous reason, I continue to take on more. I feel like if I'm not doing it all, then I'm not doing enough. Why is it that I continually find myself in this paradox, I know I can't do it all, yet for some reason I feel like I should? 

I'd fathom that I'm not the only one stuck in this paradox. So I come to you today, begging you to hear me when I say, your best is enough!  Now, say it with me, "My. Best. Is. Enough! I have nothing to prove. My happiness matters."

Mindful Mondays: Hitting a Wall

It's late October. We're in the thick of it. And the holiday madness is upon us.

While "hitting a wall" is generally used in the figurative sense, this time of year I can't help but feel that the wall is literal. The stress and fatigue are real. The wall is real! 

I beg of you to lean into your wall. Use it as a reminder to pause and breathe. Enjoy the crisp mornings. Take in the seasonal decorations. Shorter days are around the corner - use them as a reminder to put you and your family first. 

Don't feel defeated by your wall. Lean. Rest. Breathe. Then breathe again. 

Mindful Monday: Mondays

Mondays tend to be one of the least favorite days of the week. I mean, I get it. No one *wants* to go to work, but on the flip side that's why they pay us. No one would show up on a Monday just because they want to. 

But here's the deal, Monday's make up 1/7 of our entire life. That's a little more than 14% of our time on this round planet. That seems like an awful lot of our lives spent dreading one day.   

So I challenge you today to reframe how you think about this not so popular day. Instead of thinking that you "have to" get up and come to work today, try I "get to" change lives today. And if you can't muster up enough umph for that, perhaps we just rename Mondays to Taco Tuesday Eves. 

Either way, it's time we start Making our Mondays Matter!

Mindful Monday: Greener Grass

When things are hard, it is easy, nearly second nature, to start comparing how good you think someone else has it...how easy their life seems, how smart, how successful, how together, so on and so forth. Next thing you know, their grass seems so stinking green that it's all you can focus on. 

If you're too busy noticing what others have, you'll never see the good in your life. You won't notice the joy you bring to others. You'll miss out on the amazing things happening daily in your life. 

However, it's more than just don't fall into the comparison trap. What are you doing to take care of your grass? Afterall, the grass is greener where it's watered. I ran across that phrase recently, and it hit me so profoundly. So much so, I think it's worth repeating. The grass is greener where it's watered. 

Focus on you. Focus on what you can control. Focus on all the little things because the little things add up faster than you know. 

I challenge you to read this mantra below out loud. Consider posting it on your bathroom mirror. Commit to loving yourself and watering your own grass.