Thank You for the Ultimate Sacrifice - Motivation Monday #21 {May 26, 2014}

Every Monday I post quotes and/or videos to inspire and motivate you through your week. Get ready for a great week!

While today kicks off summer for many, let's be mindful the reason for Memorial Day - a time to pause and remember the many soldiers who have a paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. 

Have a blessed day!

Getting Off the Road to Failure is a Choice - Motivation Monday #20 {May 19, 2014}

Every Monday I post quotes and/or videos to inspire and motivate you through your week. Get ready for a great week!

Chael Sonnen is an accomplished UFC fighter and coach. In the video at the end of this post, one of the athletes he coaches, Uriah Hall, gets advice on how to deal with negative thoughts. 

As educators, we can sometimes question our actions and decisions. How can we keep negative thoughts from defeating us? First, take a few minutes to watch the video below. As you go through the week, recall Chael's words of advice. In the comments below, share ways that you defeat negative talk and self-doubt.

Remember why we do what we do. Those reasons are stronger than any negative words or self-doubt!

Simple Words to Inspire Great Leadership

Today I spent a good part of my day meeting with teachers. I was reviewing with each of them their final evaluation of the year, and we discussed areas of strength as well as areas of growth.

Their evaluations are based on formal and informal observations, as well as their Professional Learning Plan and other professional conversations and interactions. 

Getting in classrooms is hard. There is always some administrative responsibility or interruption that can take time away from visiting classrooms. 

This school year, I have been determined to MAKE time (not FIND time) to get in classrooms, talk with teachers about their craft, talk with students about their learning, and share with the world what our teachers and students are doing in their classrooms. 

Also, this school year I've been using the principles in 12: The Elements of Great Managing to guide me in my interactions with others, specifically in the area of teacher engagement.

Today one of the teachers, after our discussion of his evaluation, said these words to me:

"Thank you. I really feel like you know what is going on in our classrooms because you are there so much. I really want to hear your input because I know that you have seen what's going on. You encourage us and are positive, but you also push us to keep getting better. I really appreciate you."

His simple statements made me want to be an even better leader. For our teachers. For our students. For each other. 

Attitude and Effort: The Two Things We Control

There are many life lessons I have learned through playing and coaching sports. 

There is one lesson I share with students, teachers, and/or people in my life almost daily. 

This is the lesson: 

When it comes to our part in life (sports, situations, practices, classrooms, etc...), there are only two things we can control:

Attitude and Effort

I've written once before about learning to "control what we can control, and letting other things go." 

It can be difficult to recognize those things that we DO have control over and the things that we do not have control over.

I believe that effective leaders, whether they are leaders in a school or classroom or world leaders, recognize the two things that they can control, and they try to have a positive attitude and give maximum effort to whatever challenges they encounter. 

Here are some ways to have a positive attitude:

1. Believe in yourself first. Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady believed in his ability to teach Eliza "proper English" with an upper class accent. "I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ." -Max Lucado

2. Be Intentional. When your actions are purposeful and not aimless, you don't waste time and energy. You are rejuvenated by purposeful work, and your attitude will improve as a result.

3. Practice healthy habits. Make healthy food choices: limit sugar and processed foods and increase vegetable intake. Exercise several times a week. Set aside quiet time for reflection. Drink lots of water.

4.  Have an "attitude of gratitude." Be thankful of others and their gifts that they share with you and/or the world. 

Here are some ideas to improve effort:

1. Prioritize your work. Use a quadrant like the one created by Steven R. Covey to evaluate your work priorities. Give the most effort to the most important tasks. (See quadrant here: https://bit.ly/Time-Matrix) Work smart.

2.  Do what successful people do. In your organization, identify who the high performers are. Learn from them, and do what they do. 

3. Create a successful team. As a leader, spend time/effort planning, dreaming, planning, training, and developing your team. The amount of effort that a leader gives will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the team.

4.   Focus on the process not the outcome. Gardeners know that they can't control WHAT or HOW MUCH grows, but they increase their chances by taking care of the watering, soil preparation, nutrition, and weeding of their plants. Focus on the process.

Shop on Amazon to Support Your Journey

Note: The links below are affiliate links, which help support this blog — at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

To complement this post, consider these helpful tools and resources:  

- Gratitude Journal: Cultivate a daily gratitude practice to boost positivity.  

- Water Bottle with Time Markers: Stay hydrated with a motivational water tracker.  

- Habit Tracker Planner: Track your healthy habits and progress toward goals.  

- Steven R. Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: A must-read for mastering prioritization and effort.  

- Resistance Bands or Yoga Mat: For convenient at-home workouts to maintain physical health.  

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