Month: December 2018

#OneWord2019

#OneWord2019. I’m sure that you have seen the social media posts swirling over the past few days. Many years ago, I embraced the #OneWord challenge. I traded lists of New Years Resolutions for a word that would serve as a lens through which to make decisions: how I spend my daily hours, set personal and professional long-term goals, and interact with those that I love the most.

Previous #OneWords include Fearless (2014), Move (2015), Simplify (2016), Intentional (2017), and Cultivate (2018). As I reflect, I realize that – each year – my word made a significant impact on my personal growth during that trip around the sun.

Each year, I wait patiently for the word to find me – in a quote, in a song, or in a book that I am reading, or in a conversation. With only hours before this year’s chapter closes, I had started to worry that my word had not emerged. Friends were sharing their incredible #OneWord choices: Relentless (Laura), Present (Erin), Dissonance (Don), Grow (Kristi), Relationships (Kimberly), Impact (Debbie), Metanoia (Jessica), and Speak (Heather). Aren’t these amazing selections?

I pondered. I researched. I thought. I reflected.

And, finally, it hit me.

My #OneWord2019 will be EMBRACE.

You see, life is a journey. Over the past year, it would have been impossible for me to imagine, on January 1, what the rest of 2018 would reveal.
2018 was a year of change. Our family survived parenting two high school teenagers with driver’s licenses, athletic schedules, jobs, and a myriad of college-level courses. My job continued to provide opportunities to grow as an educator and instructional coach. Personally and professionally, my faith was tested. In each adventure, I faced challenges, took risks, enjoyed successes and failures, and grew… oh my goodness, I grew.

Yet, throughout the year, I was so focused on the goal, the deadline, or the due date for the assignment, that I frequently missed the beauty of the journey. This year, I vow to change that: to embrace the journey.

Life is messy. Life is chaotic. Life is unpredictable.

Life is challenging. Life is unfair. Life is hard.

Life is beautiful.

Life is uncertain.

In 2019, I will embrace that uncertainty.
I will embrace the challenges as opportunities to grow.
I will embrace the changes as opportunities to learn new things.
I will embrace the journey for it may not happen again.
I will embrace every ounce of beauty along the way.

And, many years from now, I will name this chapter of my life.

#OneWord2019 Embrace

 

Netflix and Reflection

Happy *almost* New Year, friends.

Despite being a techie teacher, I have thoroughly enjoyed selectively unplugging for the past week. Between preparing for family birthdays and holiday events, I dusted off several books that have patiently waited for my return and enjoyed some of my Netflix favorites. Speaking of Netflix, I absolutely love the television show Blue Bloods. Although I appreciate a good cop drama, my favorite aspect of this show is the wisdom and wit of the characters, particularly Frank Reagan. In every single episode, I find myself writing down a quote or two that strike me as brilliant….and inspiring this post.

As I reflect on 2018 and create my vision board for 2019, I recognize that it has been a year of change – changes in our family, in our professions, and in the world that surrounds us. I have experienced the highest of highs – earning my National Board Certification and seeing our Dare to Innovate Virtual Professional Development formally published. I’ve also seen my share of challenges – challenges that tug at heartstrings and result in me leaning in more so than ever before.

As I binge-watched Blue Bloods this week, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan so eloquently stated,

” Situations like these don’t build character. They reveal it.”

Let that sink in.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Life isn’t fair.” Perhaps, life really isn’t fair. But, we, as humans, are created for challenges. We are resilient. The greatest of highs and the deepest of lows provide the best opportunities for us to show the universe the threads of the fabric that defines our character.

As I reflect on my role as a parent, educator, and colleague, I realize how it is more important than ever to embrace challenges rather than fear them. It is through life’s challenges that we reveal our character – and, perhaps, even test it – so that we emerge with more wisdom and resiliency that we entered, better prepared for life’s next mountain.

In the wisdom of Frank Reagan,

Life should be a series of daring adventures, launched from a secure base.

What better gift can we provide for the next generation that a space that is safe to daring take risks without fear of failure?

As I enter 2019, one of my goals is to intentionally create a learning space that is a secure base – in my home and in my classroom – that celebrates the pathway more than the success, that discusses strategies to overcome barriers to challenges rather than quiver in fear of failure, and reflect on the learning opportunities that accompanied the journey.

Here’s to 2019 – a year of adventure!