Some Days You’re KILLING It! Others…
Some days you’re killing it and others, well, not so much. You want to be KICKING SOME CLASS more often than not but let’s face it that’s not a realistic expectation, or is it? Every teacher has “those days.” The ones that are either so good or so bad you’re left changed. Wouldn’t it be great if we could maximize the good ones, and minimize the bad? That’s exactly what I am going to help you do today.
Do More of What You Love.
It’s a gross oversimplification to suggest that you do more of what you love, and less of what you hate. Though it may be an oversimplification, it’s still what I am suggesting. In the next week, pay attention to how you feel at the end of a lesson, class, or day. As you reflect, answer these power-packed questions. They’ll help you determine how you’re wired to teach. Then you can begin to plan to do more of, if not ONLY, that!
Success leaves clues.
Tony Robbins
What Does Success Look Like?
Motivational speaker Tony Robbins once said, “Success leaves clues.” It’s true of successful people, and successful plans. You need to search for and identify your successes. The first step is to think about how you define a successful day. Does it contain personal, professional, and relational aspects?
In your job, what do those days look like when you would say you, “won?” What did you do? What did the kids say, create, learn or feel? What did you say, feel, do?
In your job, what do those days look like when you would say you, “won?” What did you do? What did the kids say, create, learn or feel? What did you say, feel, do?
Leverage Your Wins!
In your personal life what was special about your best days? Did you wake up early, and go for a run? Did you sleep well? Did you set aside time to build relationships with your spouse, kids, or a friend? What was it that left you feeling energized, balanced and inspired? Find the success, name the clues, and then, do more of that. For me, it’s when I say “I can’t believe they pay me to do THIS!” Or when the kids say, “Do we have to leave???…” Those moments are wins, and we need to leverage our wins.
…we need to LEVERAGE our wins.
Failure Leaves Scars
As “Success leaves clues”, ”failure leaves scars.” One of my first, and most popular, YouTube videos references a car accident. This video, on my personal growth channel, tells the story, and the lesson I gleaned from a night when I was only 17 years old. The impact of that crash with a careless Maple tree left large cuts on my knees. The scars are hidden during the normal workday. But, when it’s warm enough, and I’m coaching Cross Country or Track & Field, they’re visible. I can’t tell you how many times my athletes have heard that story because they saw those scars. The scars lead to a powerful lesson, one that I am honored to tell. One I hope has benefitted many people beyond myself.
Identify Your Scars
Where do you have scars? Lessons that were so painful for you or the students that they left a memorable mark. Scars that taught you something, the hard way. For me, there are a handful of lessons that I’ll never do again, and I’ll bet you have some as well. If you’re smart, you’ve already stopped doing those lessons. If you’re brave, you altered them for a second round. What did you learn from them? What was it that left the scar? Too long of an activity? Lack of engagement? Too much talking on your part? Lack of planning? Too hard? Not enough time? What? Take some time to think about it and then… STOP IT…
What about personal life? Did you stay up too late? Pick a fight with a loved one over something stupid? Take the bait, and “get into it” on social media with an old friend? Most of us do not lack poor choices that led to scars in our personal lives. Can you identify yours?
We need to LEARN from your scars.
Resist The Pressure
As a teacher, you know the ever-increasing list of “one more” things. Your planning time is dwindling, replaced by the whirlwind of “more.” These ever-increasing tasks, emails, meetings, minutes, forms, and reports demand more and more of your limited time. Can we prevent the whirlwind from blowing us over?
Fortunately, the answer is yes, but we must lean in. Leaning in means, standing up, and resisting. To do it, we need to evaluate the importance of each task. Then ask yourself which you want to invest more time doing. Decide which are critical to your mission as an educator, and find a way to lessen or remove the rest.
Lean In to Stand Tall
Are there current commitments you can divest yourself of? What can you stop doing, let go of, or not engage in? In meetings, this can be as simple as saying nothing. When your input isn’t required, this can speed things along, and get you back to productivity. Is that comment or joke worth the extra conversation. (If it’s a joke, in my case, yes, always yes.) Seek to do more of what matters to you. More of what impacts your students the most, and more of what returns positive energy to your work, mood, and life? We need to LEAN into the whirlwind.
We need to LEAN into the whirlwind.
Here Is Your Class Kicking Plan
In the next 7 days be aware of successes, scars, and whirlwinds. Reflect on them as they come, and then Kick Some Class! Your three weapons are simple. Here they are one more time:
- Leverage your successes. Create more moments that motivate, engage, energize, rest, and refresh you.
- Learn from your scars. Limit the choices that steal your joy, energy, focus, connection, and impact.
- Lean into the whirlwind. Resist the low-value and replace them with mission-critical tasks.