It’s that time of the year, when we prepare to say goodbye to one year and welcome in the next… and more than ever we are ready to say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021.
I gave up making New Year’s Resolutions a few years ago. I always had good intentions and would start out doing well. Sometimes my resolutions (usually around exercise and/or healthy eating) would last until March if I was really
intentional but usually it would fade by mid February.
When I first heard about One Word at the end of 2017 as part of a #PIAChat (Principals In Action) I thought “I can do that.” and that I probably needed that. I needed to shift my thinking from choosing a resolution and something I had to DO all year long, to a word that would be my ‘mantra’ and help me BE the person I wanted to be.
You can read about my #OneWord2018 HERE
Last year, my #OneWord2020 was Brave. Little did I know that I would live my word in so many ways during the past year.
As I started to think about my #OneWord2021, I did a podcast about finding your word,
I participated in Lindsay Titus’ Word Party for inspiration and to focus on my word throughout the year I am also going to participate in Ali Edwards Workshop to help me document my word this year. I will focus on my word, write about it, and reflect on it as I document living my word throughout the year.
I had a list of words that I ‘tried on’ to see how they felt. I thought about what I wanted to focus on this year; was there something that I needed to change or an area I wanted to grow or if there was something I needed more or less of during the upcoming year.
My word has always chosen me when I took the time to reflect and listen.
I had to be open, listen and feel. I had narrowed my word down to Faith, Hope and Believe. They are similar yet different when you look at them closely. The dictionary has them as synonyms for each other. When I think about Faith, it’s a complete trust in something (for me it’s knowing that God will see me through and everything will happen as it’s supposed to). Hope is a feeling of desire for things to happen as well as that feeling of trust. But the further I thought and lived with the word ‘Hope’ it felt like I wanted to just wait for things to happen and I wanted to take action. Faith and Hope are nouns but Believe is a verb, which implies the action I was looking for. I want to Believe; accept something as true and feel sure of that truth.
I Believe this year will be for new beginnings in many ways (getting to the other side of the pandemic, finding that perfect place to be my authentic self, and sharing my message and story in more ways than ever).
I Believe education is on the precipice of positive change and momentum for rethinking what school could be. I Believe this is the time for us to re-evaluate what works for our students and what we should stop doing in education. I Believe this is an exciting time to be an educator and I look forward to being a part of the ‘new’ normal of schools.
I Believe that I will continue to live the Miracle Morning and practice the SAVERS each day which includes continuing my Peleton Yoga streak (today is day 83). I’ve come to rely on my quiet mornings, affirmations and visualizing what the future can hold.
I Believe that I can do whatever I set my mind to. I Believe in myself and all that I can accomplish. I will put more effort into my new website, blogging, writing and podcast. This is the year I will grow exponentially in my professional life.
I Believe in the power of connections. I am forever grateful for my PLN. This year I was able to connect to a whole new group of like minded educators through the Teach Better Mastermind. I look forward to Tuesday mornings every week. It’s the best way to start my week. It’s hard to explain but connecting with these fabulous people in our mastermind group and through voxer during the week, they’ve become close friends. I know that I can reach out to them if I am ever in need. From simple questions about setting up a new website to problems of practice at school or even advice on that week’s football picks. There’s something amazing when you find your people.
I Believe in my impact, the ripple effect that I can have on others. I am blessed to have people like you reading my blog and listening to my podcast. Even if I just reach one person and that makes a difference for them and in turn the students they serve, then I have had an impact beyond my wildest dreams. The ripple effect is something that I will continue to think about in the year ahead.
I Believe in my family and friends and that we can be together again. I miss the family cookouts, trivia nights with friends, scrapbooking weekends and attending conferences to meet my PLN friends in person. I Believe that this year of having to be socially distant will bring us closer together.
I Believe that whatever is going to happen this year is going to happen. I will embrace everything that happens and continue to Believe in myself, look for the positives and silver linings. This is the year that I will grow even more and appreciate you following along on my journey.
I encourage you to choose YOUR one word if you haven’t already. It’s never too late. One little word can have a big impact.
Once you have your word, share it….. On Twitter #OneWord2021 and #TheBusyPrincipal
I wish you all the best as you finish out the most unprecedented year we’ve ever experienced and look to your One Word to bring in 2021 and make it your best year yet.
I recommend checking out Jon Gordon’s book “One Word that Will Change Your Life” if you want to explore One Word even more.
