I'll be honest with you, I've never really been motivated by the "one word" challenge. My Superintendent challenged our entire staff a couple of years ago to think of a word to start the school year.
I complied. I printed my word and hung it on the wall as requested. I can't even remember the word to tell you the truth. I played the game. I went through the motions.
I didn't see the need to be motivated by a silly word.
Fast forward to right before Thanksgiving of last year. My grandmother passed away. It wasn't a surprise as her health had been deteriorating for about a year. Nonetheless, it shook me up quite a bit as she was one of the most amazing human beings I have ever met.
While at my grandmother's funeral, I remembered a conversation that she and I had five years prior at my Dad's funeral. It was about the fact that she had now buried her three sons. Being a parent of two children, I can't imagine the pain that she went through in losing one child, let alone three. I asked her how she managed to get through the pain of losing her boys. She replied, "I trust in my faith and simply take one day at a time, Craig."
I started reflecting more after losing my father.
My grandmother's death made me reflect. A lot. I wonder if she ever took the time to reflect on her life before she passed away at 87 years.
Too often we go through life in cruise control. We don't take the time to reflect, whether it be personally or professionally.
So this year I am going to REFLECT. I am going to take the time to think.
Time to think about what I am doing as a husband.
What I am doing as a Dad.
What I am doing as a Son.
What I am doing as a Brother.
What I am doing as a Teacher.
What I am doing as a Colleague.
What I am doing as a Coach.
If you read/subscribe to my blog, you will be seeing a theme in the next several blog posts that I compose. I am going to be reflecting. I'm going to focus on my 16 years in education
Have you taken the time to reflect on your career in Education?
This could get interesting.
What's your #oneword for 2016?
Husband, Dad, Son, Brother, Teacher, Coach, Learner, Catalyst, Collaborator, Creator, Contributor, EdTecher, DIYer, Tinkerer, Golfer, Exerciser, Gardener.
This is the second year of choosing a word. Last year was Stories. This year my word is Next Level. I want to take aspects of my life and job to the next level. You will be surprised how your year will go if you keep that word in mind as you make decisions and encounter rough spots.
ReplyDeleteThat's a powerful word. This is the second year I have decided on a word for the year. This year it is Next Level. I want to take things to the next level in my life. If you keep the word in mind during decisions and other parts of life, it makes a difference.
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