Because here is the deal. The world is going to keep humbling us. If we are truly watching and listening, it should humble us. If we are truly doing work that matters deeply, that work is going to be messy, and it will humble us. So, it's not like speaking affirmations into our lives is going to make us arrogant.

So, take care of yourselves. Feel what you need to feel. And then find ways to get yourself into that beautiful space of joy and productivity this week. We need you.

And if this is hard for adults, imagine how hard it is for kids.

How might you make a bit more space for yourself? Space to notice how you feel. Space to notice your thoughts. And space to speak affirmations into your life. Imagine how the world would change if we all learned how to encourage and motivate ourselves.

I ignored all of my instincts to do it the way more experienced teachers thought it "should" be done. And we all suffered. My students suffered. And I suffered. No one was having fun, and as a result, my students didn't learn as much as they could have learned. They merely complied.

My self-improvement gremlins have been running WILD. They have taken over my mind and thought life, and they are at the strongest at night when I look back at my day and what I have and have not accomplished. These gremlins encourage me to jump on social media and see the progress other people are making toward their goals. They encourage me to obsess over better plans and approaches and when they are at their strongest, they encourage me to buy things on the internet that will get me closer to the progess I desire. New water bottles, new meal plans and recipes, new notebooks for new ideas, new books to read, new clothes, NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW.