Speakers from all backgrounds are invited to the hallowed halls of high schools and colleges.  However, their common goal is to motivate and inspire graduates to continue to pursue their dreams.

Recently, I too had the opportunity to do just that.  The high school graduates had decided that their theme would be, “Moving Towards Success Through the Power of Dreams”.  Powerful stuff!

As I prepared for this address, I was reminded that everyone, including teachers, should live in pursuit of their dreams.  But often times we are not pursuing with diligence because we don’t know how.

We must first value the dream that’s inside of us!

WHY ARE DREAMS IMPORTANT?

All great accomplishments started with a dream.  They began with an idea, a burning desire, and a thought of achieving something more.

Everyone who has ever done anything great has had a dream.  Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Sir Lynden Pindling, Michael Jordan and even Doris Johnson started with a dream.

Dreams are like seeds.  And these seeds must be planted in the fertile soil of imaginative minds.  They must be nourished by belief and cultivated with appropriate action.

Believe it or not, everyone has a dream.  They don’t have to be glamorous, but they must be big enough to get you moving.  Sooooo…….

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What is YOUR dream?

What seed has been planted within your mind about your future?

What are you passionate about?  What gets you so motivated that you lose track of time?

What are you naturally good at that others seek your help with?

Where do you see yourself in the next 5, 10, 20 years?

If you haven’t given much thought, to any of these questions, now is the time.

HOW TO MOVE TOWARDS YOUR DREAM

As educators, we must be good examples of dream chasers.  Whether our dream is to write children’s books, facilitate workshops, start a consulting firm or branch out into a totally different career, we must go after it.  Our students emulate us.  So, we can’t stop dreaming and pursuing our dreams.

Once you know your dream, you’ve got to start moving towards making it a reality.  To do this, you’ve got to remember to do three important things:

1. Expect ANTAGONISTS – No matter how nice you are or what good you are seeking to do, you WILL have opposition. Haters will appear no matter what.  In fact, if you don’t encounter opposition, it probably means your dream isn’t big enough.  So, be ready.  People who aren’t pursuing their own dreams are likely to criticize people who are.
2. Be AUDACIOUS – To have audacity is to have the courage to think big, to show initiative, and to take risks for a dream. This might sound easy but try doing this while facing the possibility of failure.  Yikes!  Now, that’s a tall order!  But once you accept failure as part of the process, you’ll never be afraid to try.  As Robert F. Kennedy said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
3. Think in the AFFIRMATIVE – You have got to remain positive about achieving your dream. This means that no matter how it looks, you have to maintain the right attitude…..the attitude that you CAN do it!  Believe in yourself and turn off the negative internal dialogue that sabotages your efforts.  Surround yourself with positive people, books and audios that feed you with hope and possibility.

The world needs what has been deposited within you.   So there’s no time for you to sit small.  Dream BIG but be willing to start small.

Take action and grow with it.  Take action even when things aren’t making sense.  Step out on faith even when you’re ridiculed.  Leap into it even when the odds seem against you.  Move ahead even when you are afraid.

Just get moving to make it happen!  If God plants a dream in your heart, He will equip you when you step out in faith to do it.  Just do it!!!

Leave a comment:  Are you a dream chaser?  What do you do to keep yourself in pursuit of your dreams?

Photogrid courtesy of Lanet Glass (Photos: Lanet Glass & Aleka Colebrooke)

During the session, the educators were challenged to make personal development a priority.  Though it’s not always convenient to attend a seminar, the avenue of accessing books, CDs, blog pages and other online resources was highlighted.  Attendees saw how easily they could be mentored, motivated and moved to improve their personal skills. 

Perhaps the most rewarding part about organizing this PD session was the wonderful stories that unfolded.  It was heart-warming to hear a teacher describe her renewed commitment to take action and go after a personal goal of hers.  She even set a date for when it would materialize.  I truly believe the segments on goal setting and harnessing leadership potential had a lot to do with her major decision.

Another colleague talked about the encouragement she experienced being in such an enthusiastic and empowering environment.  She had recently buried her mother and needed a boost to help her as she returned to the classroom.  Though she knows it will be a process, hearing the personal story of losing my mother gave her hope.

Yet another teacher articulated the inspiration he received after hearing about my commitment to connect with my teenage son.  The teacher was driven to take a more active approach to investing time with his own children.  He noted the need to take more responsibility for his role, and because of the PD session, he was compelled to do his part.

Participants were admonished to strive to be originals though it seems as though we live in a copycat world.  They were given Dr. Myles Munroe’s key life questions to ask themselves as they reflect on how to remain unique.  One teacher quickly shared how this segment made her more determined to remain true to her biblical perspective, especially as it relates to her view of herself.

It is safe to say, from the feedback received, that all of the attendees left reinvigorated and ready to continue the transforming journey of personal development.   The seed has been planted.  I hope that they will continually ask themselves “What am I becoming?” For they know as Jim Rohn says, to have more than they’ve got, they have to become more than they are.

Leave a comment:  How has participating in personal development activities transformed your life? What benefits have you been reaping?

Image courtesy of Lanet Glass

If you are like most teachers, you probably can number the personal development seminars on one hand.  This is a serious indictment, especially for persons who work every day to shape the lives of future leaders.  When we consider that we teach what we know but duplicate who we are, then it’s a crying shame that we take little time to improve our personal skills.

Though I have been teaching since 1994, I must admit that all of the personal development training I’ve ever received came through my involvement in private business ventures.  Thankfully, I had a mentor who ate, slept and lived personal development.  So, she always encouraged me to do the same in order to increase my skill set.

Wouldn’t you agree that skills such as balancing life, listening attentively, arguing constructively, communicating effectively and people skills like influencing people positively are worth enhancing? Sure they are!

So, why is it that personal development, which focuses on improving oneself on a continuous basis, gets little attention among educators?  Perhaps if we consider the benefits of this dynamic process, we would readily embrace it.  Here are ten advantages of engaging in personal development:

1. Clearer ideas about the kind of life and work you want
2. Greater confidence in the choices you make
3. A better understanding of how you learn and how to improve your performance
4. Greater confidence in your own skills and talents that you bring to education
5. Better positioning for promotion
6. Improved reflective thinking capabilities that enhances your performance
7. Better problem-solving and planning expertise
8. A more positive attitude and approach related to a successful personal and professional life
9. More enjoyment and less stress as you keep yourself motivated AND
10. A sense of direction that brings improved focus and effectiveness

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that should nudge you to reconsider the value of personal development to you.

What you have today, you have attracted by becoming the person you are today.  So to have more than you’ve got, I challenge you to become more than you are.  Our students deserve it; our community deserves it and you owe it to YOURSELF.

Leave a comment:  In what type of personal development activity do you engage?  How has such an activity impacted you?

Image courtesy of Kiran Valipa @ unsplash.com

I’m sure we’ll always have those cynics who believe that teachers have the best hours ever since they work until 3 p.m. and get weekends off along with holidays.  But nothing can be further from the truth.  Anyone who works in the field of education knows that your work always extends beyond the walls of the school, and far beyond the time of school hours.

With this reality in mind, educators must remember to take work-free vacations as well as frequent breaks to help them stay on the top of their game.  Here are five reasons why you should enjoy taking time to rest:

1. Intervention for Physical Health – Constant exposure to stress can manifest itself on the body in so many negative ways. Therefore, time off to relax can act like medicine.  In fact, a yearly holiday can reduce the risk of heart attack in men by 30% and by 50% in women.
2. Improved Creativity – Working ardently to meet report deadlines, assess student projects and update classroom bulletin boards are not the ideal times for creative ideas. However, when you’re relaxed and in a free thinking state, some of your best ideas can emerge.  Perhaps this is because at work we tend to use the left side of our brain, which is the linear, logical side.  However, when we’re away from work, our right brain, the creative and intuitive side, is more at work.
3. Insights from Re-evaluating – When you take time to relax and rest, you are better able to review your performance to see how well things are progressing.  You get to see what is out of balance and requires adjustments.  When you are relaxed, you can easily see how to refocus your efforts for more productivity.
4. Increased Rejuvenation – It’s amazing what a little rest and relaxation can do to the mind and body. It can help to re-ignite the passion and enthusiasm that got you going back in August.  A study by Fritz and Sonnentag revealed that vacations boost energy reserves so that once back to work, you’ll need less effort to complete tasks.  So, taking a break from the routine of work to relax is truly worth it.
5. Impulse to Achieve – Clinical psychologists say that after a vacation, most people have a better perspective and are more motivated to pursue their goals. This is probably because a break allows you time to rejoice over what you’ve already accomplished.  Celebrating your successes should be a daily practice but be sure to indulge a bit more when you finally take a break.

Come on teachers, principals, and superintendents; do you need another reason to persuade you to enjoy your holidays and your vacations?  I hope not!  Just remember to DISCONNECT completely when you do take a break.  Turn off those electronic gadgets and unwind.  Invest in YOU and get a return on your health and happiness that money can’t buy.

Leave a comment:  How important is it for you to disconnect and take a break from the work you do?

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If this is you, then you might be in that group of people who value the work relationships that they have developed.

Why We Need Good Work Relationships

Humans are social beings who desire and even require social interaction with others.  Moreover, the workplace is a social enterprise where long-term relationships, friendships and even marriages are formed. So, quality relationships is a normal and vital part of a healthy work environment.

A Gallup poll revealed that people, who have a best friend or even a good friend at work, are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and be satisfied. In fact, these people are 21% more likely to claim that at work, they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day.

Maybe you’re thinking that the benefit of being more engaged and committed because of good work relationships is a trivial one.  If this is the case, you might want to consider that effective work relationships can also open doors to key projects, career advancement and even pay increases!  I’m sure the latter got your juices going, right?

How to Cultivate Good Work Relationships

Achieving such relationships in our schools, may appear as an elusive goal, especially with the demands of 25 plus students, colleagues who prefer to keep to themselves and administrators who seem to be overly demanding?  Well, believe it or not, it all begins with us.  Here are 5 tips to help you cultivate meaningful work relationships:

1. Develop your people skills. How good are you at communicating, collaborating or engaging in conflict resolution with others?  Such “soft skills” or interpersonal skills form the basis of good relationships in and out of the workplace.  I know of teachers who communicate well with their students, but when it comes to dealing with adults, they’re all thumbs.  If you find you’re lacking in people skills, access resources to learn more and put what you learn into practice.
2. Deliberately schedule time to build relationships. Teachers are extremely busy people, in and out of the classroom.  Therefore, we must be intentional about making time to get to know our co-workers on a personal level.  Even if you only have a 5-minute window, you can drop by a few colleagues’ classrooms, offer an encouraging word or compliment someone about a creative bulletin board.

And let’s not forget that we all have to eat, right?  (Well, at least some of us do).  So perhaps we can share personal interests over lunch, or just find opportunities to spend time with co-workers outside of school.  Replying to their Facebook or Twitter post could help in this regard.

3. Demonstrate appreciation for others. Everyone desires to feel that their work is appreciated and this includes the janitress, the security guard and even your principal.  We can show appreciation by complimenting people when they do something well, and this will open the door to great work relationships.
4. Dial into the radio frequency of others. People’s favourite station is WIIFM: What’s In It For Me?  People love talking about themselves and their interests.  Indulging them by employing active listening skills will certainly help to foster good relations.  Listen closely and try repeating back to them what you heard them say.  This ensures that you and your colleagues are on the same page, and it lets them know that you’re really tuned in.
5. Determine to remain positive. In an earlier post, we talked about negative people at work.  We realized that many of us try to avoid such people because they drain our energy level.  On the flip side, positive people on the job are attractive, and their positivity is very contagious.  When you always try to see the good in situations, people are naturally drawn to you.  So, your positive disposition is a key factor in strengthening your relationship with colleagues.  Who knows, your positive attitude might just reverberate throughout the entire school or even throughout the entire school district.

Even though you are at work to get a job done, it will be a more satisfying experience if you enjoy the company of the people on your team.  In any arena, relationships are complex, but cultivating positive, effective relationships can aid you in achieving a successful and rewarding career.  Just remember that it all begins with YOU.  Be the change you want to see and experience.

Leave a comment:  What positive experiences have you had with building good work relationships?  As a result, are there any tips you would offer a new teacher about developing valuable work relationships?

Maybe you’ve had the delightful pleasure to have your students finally “get it” after many unsuccessful lessons on a particular skill.  So, you bounce into the staff room, bubbling with excitement over their response and eager to share it with your colleagues. 

Just then, Delilah Downer and Corey Crab, without missing a beat, begin picking away at why you shouldn’t get too excited over your success.  “Trust me; they won’t remember that for their exams.  That strategy isn’t really effective.  Don’t let administration hear about it ‘cause then they’ll want everybody try it.”

Soon, your demeanor changes and you literally feel the energy drain out of your body.   Jon Gordon refers to these characters as the energy vampires.  These people have the amazing ability to drag your mood down instantly with their pessimism.

But since we can’t fire them ourselves, we need to find ways to deal with these critical and negative people in the workplace.   We can’t always avoid them either.  So, here are few other strategies to consider:

1. Allocate less time to spend in the company of compulsively negative people. I remember all too well, how I found myself becoming bitter after listening every day to a highly negative colleague.  She found fault with EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.  Remember that whom you spend your time with will impact the person you become.
2. Accompany others so you don’t have to take on the negativity all by yourself. Approach the negative person with a small group of persons to help diffuse their negativity.
3. Assist by providing a listening compassionate ear unless their negativity spirals out of control. People don’t truly want to be negative and they are that way for a reason.  I read a somewhat funny quote that said, “People who are negative are either lonely, broke or bored”.  So when we listen to them, we should use non-committal statements like, “Oh, I see” or “Okay”.  Whatever you do, don’t engage them by going down that rocky road of negativity with them.  Maintain your emotional distance.
4. Adopt lighter topics to lighten the mood. Negative persons are triggered by certain topics such as work.
5. Affirm positive circumstances when dealing with negative coworkers. I did this the other day and was amazed at how well it worked.  A colleague began griping over a new procedure she was required to adopt.  I quickly complimented her on how well she had been implementing it and how others should follow her lead.  Like magic, she left Negative Street and diverted for a while down Positive Lane.  It was refreshing!  Try it.
6. Accept the fact that you can’t change anyone. Once you do, you won’t get so frustrated by negative people.  I’ve learned that hurting people tend to hurt other people.  So instead of lashing back or joining in their onslaught, be compassionate and kind.  Accept them as a work in progress.
7. Acknowledge a higher purpose for such people being in your life. What if these negative people had a divine purpose for being around you?  Instead of resenting them, we should consider whether God has a profound and significant purpose for sending them.  I believe that some people, like sand paper, help to rub off our rough edges.  The unfortunate thing about this is, we become polished on purpose, while they become useless and discarded.

Whether you’re in your classroom, in the cafeteria, at church or in your community, you WILL bump into negative people.  Whatever you do, don’t allow such people to turn you into one of them.  And don’t take them seriously either.  After all, the real issue they are having is not with you, but with themselves.

Leave a comment:  How do you deal with negative or difficult people, especially those with whom you have to interact?