Change is Good!

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly. ~Henri Bergson

After you’ve done a thing the same way for two years, look it over carefully. After five years, look at it with suspicion. And after ten years, throw it away and start all over. ~Alfred Edward Perlman, New York Times, 3 July 1958.

I wish I could say definitively, that I’ve always been the type who enjoys change. But that would be a white lie. At times my desire to change-things-up, to try something new, or to adjust accordingly have been my best qualities. As a teacher, things pop up out of nowhere, all the time. Planning a school day, down to the minute, is just pointless and very frustrating. We all work in a place where things pop-up and our approach, strategy, technique, or model needs to change. Change equals growth. Change is when we learn new things, and when we learn what we’re made of.

Yes, there are some who know me who would say that I, “go with the flow”, I’m flexible and adaptable, or easygoing. Other people might say I’m highly specific, routine, and consistent…or constant. What I will say though, is I am far from being: rigid, inflexible, controlling (ummm most of the time), or uptight.

I think we all enjoy change, at some point in time. Some of us demand change to be able to stay interested, engaged, or fresh. Others like consistency and routine because it’s comfortable there, or we like to practice and fine-tune things while they stay in one place (that’s me). These people like change…after they feel they’ve absorbed and grown fully from that encounter, or experience. Really, when the target stays in one place, we can practice over-and-over until we hit it. LOL, that sounded a lot like controlling and rigid. Whoops!

When life gets busy, complicated, or too many things are rolling down at once, I get uneasy and feel the chaos coming. I quickly try to CREATE and FIND routines. I look for calm and serenity by creating patterns and predictability. In some instances, I have found this to be very helpful and effective. But some things in life DO NOT lend themselves to patterns, routines, and predictability. So, approaching them as such, leads to failure and frustration. So, this is where it is better to play your flexible and adaptable cards.

What I do believe is this, change keeps things interesting. When things change, I pay attention, I engage, I tune-in, I’m in the moment, I take in the information, I show interest.

Change is good! We all grow with change and we reengage with life. We meet new people, try new things, learn new ways, and find new passion. I’m due for a change. So, after teaching at Thamesford Public School for the past nine years, I am packing up to head to a school closer to home. It is another step closer to simplifying life, so I can have more fun living it!!

What are your views on change?

 

All work and no play…

Source: http://www.zazzle.ca

Go on then, finish the words of my title.

“All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.” – Proverb

Work, work, work! It’s so easy for me to lose myself to work for hours and hours.  I bet many of you are saying the same thing. Then again, I might also find myself procrastinating for days or weeks. I hope some of you can relate to that also.  As a teacher, I get locked-up in the hours of planning, marking, and preparing lessons, activities, tests, and projects.  There is usually more hours of work than hours left for anything else in a day.  So really, “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” can be a simple reality… when I let it happen that way.

BUUUUUUT, every Monday night I refuse to be a DULL BOY! Oh no, I get off my couch, jump up to the bathroom sink, shave my legs, swipe on the deodorant, yank-up my wonderful spandex shorts, and then I’m ready for the final, crowning moment.  I pull over the iconic, midnight black Hurricane volleyball jersey.  Oh yes! It is time for me to drag butt to Monday night volleyball to play in the, Washed-Up Varsity Volleyball League.  Okay, that is NOT the name of the league…but it could be.  The London Women’s “A” Volleyball League is very well attended, with a total of EIGHTEEN teams!  The teams are made up of women, primarily in their mid 20′s, 30′s, and 40′s.  There are most certainly a few women in their 50′s too.  These are no ordinary women though.  We’ve got game!!!  Most of the women have serious experience having played varsity volleyball for a college or university. Many players continue playing beach volleyball, or in other competitive women’s or coed indoor volleyball tournaments.

My mighty Hurricanes are ready to receive serve.

We take the game seriously! Out there on the court there are bodies diving all over the place, balls gettin’ hammered to the floor, balls getting roof-blocked, balls getting scooped up as defenders barrel-roll out of their digs.  This is serious stuff, and it is GREAT FUN.  Every part of me still loves the floor burns on the knees, hips and elbows. I welcome the bruised knees and elbow, and I don’t mind the burn in the quads and hamstrings the next morning either.  But really, I could do without the shin splints and sore lower back

Monday nights are my night.  I give hugs and kisses to the kids and to Paul and I fly out the door!  There are those occasional nights where heading to volleyball for 8:30 p.m. seems like it’s the last thing I wanna do.  Knowing that it will be almost 11 p.m. by the time I roll back home can almost make me think twice.  But, the truth is, once I’m in the gym, warmed-up and serving the first ball… I quickly forget my original resistance.

Oh yah! Who said old ladies can't jump? Look at the low defense too! Sore quads tomorrow!

Although it feels good to work out at the gym, the camaraderie and healthy competition of Monday night volleyball is second- to-none. There are some teams who put their top legends out there, holding on to their dream for the Cup! But, most of the teams believe that all players have something to give every Monday night.  We love this time to PLAY.  For two hours, we forget we are moms, teachers, nurses, paramedics, managers, assistants, VP’s, advisers, consultants, engineers, etc, etc, etc.  On Monday nights, we are volleyball players! We have come out to PLAY and have fun. We still know how to push hard and give it our all.  That is what makes our games competitive and vibrant.  This is the kind of volleyball we, Monday night ladies, know and love. We play to win because that is what we know how to do.

Volleyball has always been my true passion.  It is the only love I have, that is older than the love of my husband (okay, that sounds weird).  I walked away from volleyball for years, to take a break from the grind, to focus on my career, and then start a family.  Coming back to it over the past few years has really made me feel complete. Sometimes, we let parts of ourselves GO, while we focus our energy and efforts on things we decide are more important.  Interestingly though, I would argue that we should always stay true to ourselves.  We should always give ourselves permission to do the things we love.

PLAY.  Like air and water, we all need it.  Without play, we are boring, uninspired, lethargic bags of slop. Like children, we need to play to be active, creative and thriving beings. We might think play is only rooted in children. But, play brings joy, spontaneity, and vitality to all of our lives – young and old!

Come to think of it, I would like to play more often…a lot more. Playing more would allow me to take my crabby pants off every-once-in-a-while.  I think my family might like that.  I wouldn’t want them chanting,

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

So, do you give yourself permission to play?

 

Heart and Soul

“Every single life only becomes great when the individual sets upon a goal or goals which they really believe in, which they can really commit themselves to, which they can put their whole heart and soul into.” ~Brian Tracy

“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.” ~ Vincent Van Goh

I have always respected, admired, and consulted those who put their heart and soul into what they do. Putting your heart and soul into what you do helps you to get the most out of life. The words of Brian Tracy (above) have reverberated in my mind time and time again. For life to be great, don’t we need to set goals and commit ourselves to fulfilling them? Our goals might pertain to our personal life– becoming a better spouse, parent, sibling, or self. Our goals could also pertain to our future, career, or health. All things considered, putting your heart and soul into things is a LOT OF WORK! So much of what we read, watch and view these days; is telling everyone to slow down, find balance, and get priorities straight. Yet, for careers to flourish and for families to be happy we seem to need to put our heart and soul into everything we do!

I applied for a new position in our school board as a Learning Coordinator for Literacy. The position calls for leadership, knowledge, skills, and drive. The Learning Coordinator is a person who is constantly networking, planning, organizing, designing, communicating, scheduling, researching, writing, and presenting. Geepers! It’s no wonder I was dying to get the job, right? I do these things all the time…even when creating a grocery list!

I love teaching. That is no secret to my colleagues or my students. I do put my heart and soul into the planning, research, pedagogy, and delivery of most things that I teach or present. So, when I saw the posting for a Learning Coordinator, I put my heart and soul into the application process too. When I got the call, offering an interview, I was tickled pick! I threw my heart and soul into the next phase of the process. I networked, consulted, researched…and I of course went shopping for a new suit and shoes You’ve got to read (or reread) my post about “public speaking“.

Well, the interview went well and I really felt good coming out of it. I put my heart and soul into developing a response to the case study, and then I confidently answered all questions. I put my heart and soul into this whole opportunity to share my knowledge and passion. When I stood up to leave the board room, I looked into the eyes of my panel interviewers and I was at ease with how I handled myself. They appeared to be satisfied and engaged with all that I had to say.

WE become great “…when the individual sets upon a goal or goals which they really believe in, which they can really commit themselves to, which they can put their whole heart and soul into.”

So, how did it go in the end? Well, I wasn’t selected for the Learning Coordinator position this time around. I felt pretty burned when I first got the news. I immediately began to analyze and reflect on the entire process…looking for a moment where I had slipped-up. It was in these moments where I felt the words of Vincent Van Goh (quote at the top). I had pushed through two weeks of planning and refining, and I came out of it feeling I had lost my mind.

I do play to win…almost always…but you can’t win them all! So, I’m warming up to the “rejection”. It has caused me to reflect on my career and my qualifications. What do I have under my belt? What am I missing? How can I make myself a better candidate next time? This is good. Because, now I’m laying the bricks for a new road. This reminds me of when I wrote the post, Today marks my fork in the…”Road Not Taken”. This time I’ll take the one less traveled. I’ll find new direction, and a new place to throw my heart and soul.

Over the past two days, THREE of my supporters used the phrase, heart and soul in emails and conversations with me. I feel as though this is the message coming back to me, reassuring me. Although I didn’t get what I wanted this time around, I did put my heart and soul into it. This is all that we can ask of ourselves. Do your best and leave nothing in the tank.

Well, other people need me to put my heart and soul into efforts on them. My kids need me, my husband needs me, and I need me. It is tough to…NO….It is unwise to… throw your heart and soul into everything, all the time. But, I think it’s okay to take turns in life. Today I’m going to put my heart and soul into this. Tomorrow I’m going to throw my heart and soul into that.

My new passion is good health, natural nutrition, and personal wellness. My husband started this journey towards natural health, and I’ve jumped on the bandwagon with him. But, that is a post to be written in the future.

What do you throw your heart and soul into?

IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.picsquare.com/buy/teddy-bear/Heart-and-Soul-C1600101-1393

 

Brevity: A tool for growth

“The more you say, the less people remember.” ~ François Fénelon

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” ~ Walt Disney

“If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.” ~Dennis Roth

It has only taken me three decades to admit this…but, I really do talk too much. In fact, I even think too much.
NOTE: close friends of mine…no smart remarks!!

As a teacher, I love François Fénelon’s words. Teachers would do well to spend less time standing at the front of their classroom yakking, and give more of their time to supporting students in smaller groups and conferences. This is where the real learning comes alive!

Walt Disney’s words can inspire us across many of life’s roles. These words can guide us out of procrastination; into action, productivity, and destiny. By doing We can feed relationships, invigorate parenting, and fulfill responsibilities.

The words of Dennis Roth, remind us to pause and take stock of our journey to brevity. Perhaps we could slow down, check our audience, select only choice words, and filter our message. We don’t need to pollute the air with a lot of words. We need to conserve our own thoughts and ideas, so that we can benefit from the thoughts and ideas of others.

Sooooo, since I will be doing a lot less talking and perhaps a better job of listening. I will learn, grow, and gain the respect of others along the way.

After all, there’s nothing more annoying than a blabber-mouth.

This shorter-than-normal post is a good start towards brevity.  Who wants to join me?

Another great post to check….

The Lost Art of Brevity     http://www.n2growth.com/blog/the-resurgence-of-brevity/