Compassion: I don’t buy the argument that some kids fail
because they don’t want a good life for themselves. Every last kid wanted to
succeed. Not every kid displayed their desire the same way if at all, some kids
had more foresight than others, but every kid wanted a good life for
themselves. Period.
Letting go of the reigns: Your life, your performance at work, ... are not “supposed” to be
a certain way. You can only do your best and you can't control inevitable external factors. You are not “supposed” to be in a certain stage of your life,
you are not “supposed” to have accomplished X amount in Y time. You have what
you have, you are what you are, and you have not fallen short of any
expectations. This contradicts notions of destiny and fate, but this also frees
you to venture onto paths that you would not have otherwise considered. You are
free to experiment… to ad lib, to live outside of the box, and – in a way – set
variable expectations for yourself.
Strength: You are stronger than you think. You can make yourself look
a lot stronger than you feel. I watched a teaching video of myself a few days
after it was filmed. In my opinion, I looked and sounded confident, purposeful,
and even stern. After watching the video for a few more minutes, I suddenly
realized that that was the day that I stepped out of the classroom for a minute
to cry and then re-entered with what felt like a very fragile demeanor. In
actuality, I did not appear to be on the verge of tears. I need to keep this
mind the next time the I feel nervous; I have the ability to
fake courage and the strength to push through difficult situations.
The 6th Sense: Kids are more attuned to people and their feelings than are working adults. At least my kids were.
The Present: “Right now” is “the next thing”. Each day, I tiredly
assured myself that what happened today did not matter because what did matter
was that I put in my hours for my first year of teaching. I thought of my first
year of teaching as nothing but a stepping-stone for year two and beyond: aka,
“real teaching”. After quitting, I anxiously sat around and waited for the next
chapter of my life. What I should have done was realize that every day of
teaching was a day for itself as well as a stepping-stone for the next day. My
year spent earning my teaching credential was a year of lessons for itself
along with an investment for my future. As soon as I quit my job, the next
chapter of my life began. I will appreciate the moment for what it is as well
as dream of an exciting future. I will appreciate who I am now as well as
continually work to improve myself.
Two-minute Things: Two-minute positive
things can help turn your day around when the bigger things in your day aren't going right. Call a friend to say hello; write a thank you note to someone for their
good deed; jot down some ideas for a journal entry, blog post, or book; read
an article in the paper. These two-minute little things make you feel good for
much longer than the two-minutes that it took to complete the task and they
quickly add up. The sum is much greater than the parts.
Sleep: A good night’s sleep is the best investment that you can
make for yourself. No explanation necessary.
Humility: Time spent criticizing others rather than analyzing and improving yourself is time wasted. I am greatly humbled by this
experience and I regret my being overly critical of others; we all experience
struggle, we all are allowed to have these experiences and are allowed to make mistakes, nobody’s perfect, and
in the end, self-improvement is more productive than pointing out others’
faults and hoping that they will change.
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