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| Photo Credit: Flickr |
I came across a song by Asking Alexandria recently that gave me all the words that I needed to hear. There have been many songs and many artists that have done this, but this song...this one song made me pause in life. I truly took pause and stood back. It was time for me to be still. It was time for me to put me first and reflect. I needed to be still. I needed it more than I knew.
All I needed was the last thing I wanted
To sit alone in a room and say it all out loud
I used to blog all the time. I loved putting it all out there. It was a great release for me. I don't know exactly what happened to make it stop. I have a guess, but I'm not going to place blame on something I had complete control over. What I do have control over is what happens next. My growth as an educator and human being is very important to me. I know the direction that I am headed, and I want to continue on that path. My #OneWord for this year doesn't mean that I am going to stand still in my journey. In my opinion, standing still in education is dangerous to us and our students. What it does mean, is that there will be times that I need to pause, reflect, and say it all out loud. There will be times where I just need to be still for a moment.
Sometimes I'll fall down, sometimes I'll lose hope
But those days will be few if I keep my feet on the ground
I might be lonely, but I ain't alone here
So I keep pushing the limits of what makes me
I think it is perfectly natural for self doubt and fear to creep in to our lives. There have been times, in just this past year alone, where I have questioned the direction of my life because of these two emotions. I could have let them takeover and adjust my sails, but that just wasn't an option for me. I shook their hands and said see you later (because we all know they make return visits), and continued on my path. This wouldn't have happened without the help of others. I want to say thank you to my admin team at my school, the teachers that I work alongside, my instructional coaching team and our leader, my PLN/PLF (you know who you are), my sister and her family, and one of the best networks to be a part of, the #4OCFpln. You have all had a hand in keeping my feet on the ground. Thank you. I will continue to push the limits within myself and others because I know the importance of that effort. And I think you know the importance of that too.
I can be better than I was
I can be better than I am
I am looking forward to this year, and I know that I can and will be better. I will make decisions for me and because of this journey that I am on. I will spend more time reflecting on my path and leaning on those that build me up rather than tear me down. Sadly, there have been some people in my life these past couple of years that I truly thought were friends that showed their truly colors to me or even behind my back, but I will not let them or anyone else prevent me from moving forward. I will put me first and work on my mind and my body. I will fuel both with positivity, struggle, risk-taking, and anything that breathes fire into my soul. This message popped up on my Twitter feed this week, and I related to it so much. I need to remind myself of this when criticism slides into my life and work. I can be better than I was and I can be better than I am.
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| Photo Credit: Pikbee |
