Best Year Yet

11 Feb
Each year as an educator and/or leader, you return to your  school feeling recharged and ready to fulfil the promise of a great year. Now as the first few weeks of schooling have commenced the question is, are you able to maintain the momentum you started the year with or will you allow something to get in the way?
 
To further add to this, beginning the school year with the concept of having the “Best Year Yet” rather than just a great year, raises the bar to allow you to strive for greater excellence in your professional and personal life. 
 
It’s not enough to say you will have a great year or even better, the best year yet, without putting into place strategies that will help you ensure it will be. 
 
From a holistic perspective and applying the Human Literacy elements, you’ll find this is far more achievable. Here are some strategies to think about applying to create your ‘best year yet’. 
 
It begins with belief. This goes without saying. If you believe it or not, you’re right. If you believe in yourself first and foremost this will be huge in supporting your successful ‘best year yet’ journey. The power of belief affects your physiology. Your physiology affects your emotions. Your emotions affect your relationships. Your relationships affect your teaching, student learning and leadership. What do you believe about yourself? Is this limiting or is it progressive?
 
The emotional baggage you bring with you needs to be sent back to the past where is belongs. Use the past as a benchmark and let go of the emotion associated with mistakes. These emotions will only lead to a negative self-image and will not serve you well if you want to move forward. 
 
Living in a past that no longer exists will affect the quality of what you do in the present. Instead think about what the best was for you from the worst you experienced and use this to create the next level of achievement. Also think about solutions to the challenges you faced. For example, you may have worked with a difficult team. Instead of focusing on how you felt about the team, change your paradigm and see opportunities to improve what you do within your team that has the potential to shift the team dynamics. It’s not about changing others, it’s actually about changing yourself. The rest generally follows. 
 
Think about the skills you have and need to improve. Find ways to develop these skills. They may be leadership skills, ICT skills, academic skills or even communication skills. Participate in Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) and professional learning opportunities that help you grow professionally and personally. Find a mentor you can learn from and with or a Professional Coach that can inspire you to greatness. Read, read and read some more especially motivational content that supports a positive state of mind. 
 
Physically, make time to nurture yourself. Work out a balance between your personal and professional life. Turn off the screen and spend time in nature and with your family. Walk, eat well and sleep well. You will be surprised how much better you feel and how much more time you will have to get things done. Create new habits and routines to maximise your time and stay on track when obstacles attempt to get in your way. 
 
Think about the environment you work and live in. Does it serve you well and enable you to feel happy? Is there far too much in it that creates a feeling of heaviness? Are you in natural light often? Is it soothing? Do you have plants and other natural elements around you? These types of questions are important in addressing what you expose yourself to each day. Change your environment so you feel alive and happy within it. If you are working with children in a particular learning space, ask them to assist you. 
 
Spend time with people that motivate you. Often those that find it difficult to succeed are around others that have difficulties themselves. Are you around people that bring you down or people that raise you up? This is important in shaping your success. 
 
At Edumazing where I work, I am fortunate to have a great positive team to work with. It has taken a few years to find the right people who are passionate about young people and making a difference in the world. Now we finally have the formula to ensure we all have our ‘best year yet’. The above strategies are only some we have used to ensure we stay on this edumazing journey.
Are you ready for your ‘best year yet’? What’s standing in your way? How will you shift it? Enjoy the opportunity to create your #bestyearyet, It’s never too late.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *