Learner. Human. Joyologist.
I had the pleasure of hearing some of our high school students perform with Foreigner last night. While I previously had an appreciation for many of the songs, after seeing them in concert, I find myself enjoying the music so much more. This was my experience after attending the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert and... Continue Reading →
Life right now is tiring and overwhelming. But I’m reminded of this story from Fred Rogers, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”’
We are human. The variables are endless. Perhaps we should give ourselves, others, and situations the room to be. Room where much can be true.
You often hear people talk about needing leaders not managers. I know what it’s meant by this but let’s be clear, the work needs to be well-managed. This is the floor not the ceiling but without a solid foundation, our house cannot stand. Management is part of leadership. It is not the only part of it. But it’s an essential part of it. Because if our work feels chaotic, we cannot do our best work.
Saying we need to "do better" does not create a path forward. It might inspire some to try by throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. For others, it might feel scary and cause them to shutdown. Either way, it's unfair to expect people to lean on willpower alone.
And collective hope may have saved my life as kid. There are people who say hope is not a strategy. But I think, hope is THE strategy.
In the meantime, may we all simply work to be fully where are our feet are planted. May we offer others our fullest presence and attention. And may others feel this from us in small ways. Whether it's putting our phone away, asking thoughtful questions that allow us understand more clearly what is said, or remembering to follow up on little details shared with us.
So, I'm counting on nothing but obstacles and the beautiful resilience and growth that comes from staying the course. I trust the process.
The best way to stay encouraged and engaged in processes that take time is to spend time noticing and celebrating how far we have come versus how far have to go. As I mention in Legacy of Learning, this is how we keep our brains motivated when the work is cognitively demanding.
This is what I mean by being gentle with ourselves. Maybe stop being so hard on yourself. We can push ourselves and hold ourselves to high expectations without shaming and blaming ourselves. OK, so maybe you wished you had handled that situation differently. Maybe you wished you had eaten better yesterday. Maybe you didn't get all of your steps in or didn't get all of your papers graded.
MEGHAN LAWSON 