Impacting Value

This summer I am working to hold true to balance rest and professionally refueling for the upcoming school year. The Mindvibe.co captured my focus with their post and I have been re-reading it to remind myself to slow down as well as be more intentional with my time, words, and actions – even if that intentionality is in pausing.

I headed into the Missoula Marathon the last weekend of June with the goal simply to enjoy the day. While my nervous stomach had other plans, it was still a beautiful day and I completed it with a crew of family and friends. Courtney biked along side me for the last twelve miles and friends showed up along the course with posters and encouragement. It is a humbling experience to want to push yourself, but to realize your body is protesting. I was very aware that to spectators I looked fine and it may have seemed odd as I didn’t look injured. In addition to the physical challenge of completing the distance, this social factor became a mental battle for me to remain positive and enjoy the mileage. As I ran by others or as they passed me, I couldn’t help but think about the activity where you imagine if we all put our stories on our shirts how different we all would treat one another. I wondered about the stories of those around me and what their why was for running. I thought about all the miles I have logged since Josh’s diagnosis. At the finish line after almost six hours on my feet, hugging Emma remind me it is worth every step forward. It is up to me to model for her how to be strong and courageous and in order to do so, I must first believe that I, too, am so.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the UNITED Conference for NAESP (National Association of Elementary School Principals) in Seattle. The opening keynote was delivered by Daymond John and he ignited my positive mindset for the remainder of the conference. I was able to learn from leadership icons including Gholdy Muhammad who spoke from the heart on genius, justice, and joy and Adam Welcome whose commitment to embracing each moment with excitement and energy was contagious. I was fortunate to have traveled with a team of six other leaders from my district whose expertise and friendship remind me how vital professional networks and collaborative practices are in education.

Dr. Andy Jacks in his session titled “Bring the Confetti: Real Talk on Leading with Heart, Habits, Humility, and Hope” asked us to consider the contrast between our daily checklist and the to do list that pops up. The fidelity checklist is what we need to complete each day to do our jobs well and the to do list is what pops up that simply needs to get done. It was a powerful moment of reflection to sit with myself and my practice as a professional, a parent, and a partner. I have room for growth when I analyze the time I spend doing things and the time I spend completing things well and with purpose. John Maxwell was our closing keynote speaker. He shared with us five of his 21 Irrefutable Laws for Leadership. He challenged us to evaluate how we add value to our lives and that of others – not overall, not in a general reflection at the end of the year, but intentionally and with purpose every day. Maxwell shared “people will rise to the value of their self worth.” It was the call to action I needed to kick myself in gear both as I focus on loving my family fiercely and as I prepare to serve our school community for another year.

Growing up, my family always put our family first. My mom my first teacher for how to treat others and my greatest teacher for how to value others. She was gracious and kind, even when others did not extend the same courtesy to her. She was the epitome of strength, courage, and grace. That said, she was also silly, stubborn, and would fight for anyone who didn’t have a voice. My sister and I talk about how much she modeled for us and how even now, after her passing, we feel we are still learning from moments and memories we shared. This Fourth of July we spent five nights being tourists in our hometown. Emily and I gave ourselves permission to be silly (and stubborn) and we had a blast. I realized too seldom am I modeling for Emma the pure joy of being silly. It was good to laugh.

As I continue to search for balance, thank you for being on this journey with me. Here is to each of the moments and miles we are given together.