"Monday" Mush

Happy fake Monday tomorrow!  We always like a short week!

I am always a sucker for these personality tests, but I thought this one was VERY user friendly and predictive.  It has great information at the end, and it would be a perfect discussion item for your team!

http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Takes about 10 minutes, and it is quite good!

Happy “Monday”!

Friday Flush -- Nick Nolte or Socrates?

If it is on the internet, it must be true! I research a lot of quotes, and it is always funny who they are attributed to…this one was attributed to Socrates, Dan Millman, and Nick Nolte.  If you don’t really care where it came from, skip on down to the next paragraph.  Well, they are all 3 kind of right.  Dan Millman wrote a book called “Peaceful Warrior” in which there is a gas station attendant known as Socrates.  In the movie edition of this book, Socrates was played by Nick Nolte.  So truly this quote isn’t from the ancient philosopher, but really from Dan Millman in his best-selling book.

So, regardless of who said it….it is still a POWERFUL quote.  We all have a past…some good, some bad.  We all have things we can brag about, and we all have things we wish were very different.  Our energy cannot change those things.  It cannot preserve the good, and it can’t change the bad.  Our future can.

I am not the person I want to be…I won’t ever be able to say “I have arrived,” but I do want tomorrow to be able to say “I am better today than I was yesterday.”  We get that by using our energy is changing tomorrow, not fixing yesterday.  Tomorrow has potential…we truly have a way to change it…yesterday is static and it can’t be undone.

I hope this weekend is a large time of rest as you enjoy a long weekend….as we are close to the finish line think about what is ahead of you! 

Happy Friday!

Monday Mush -- SEAL Life Lessons

http://advice-223.lifebuzz.com/10-lessons-from-navy-seal/?utm_source=sp&utm_medium=April&utm_campaign=Spots&fp=sp

A few years ago, I read this at our “closing meeting” – was going through my “mush folder,” and I thought it was great advice as we start in “graduation speech season.”  Some great “life lessons” with much larger meanings and purposes.

I think that our “day to day” shows our character…our integrity…our heart. 

I will keep my comments brief, so you have ample time to read.

I thank you for your daily dedication to these students and their families.  We are perfect, and some days are TOUGH….but we don’t “ring the bell” and we find a way to laugh even “neck deep in the mud.”

Thanks for all you do!

Happy Monday!  

Friday Flush

Are you feeling the finish line approaching?  It is coming!  That is a good, good thing…. 

People ask me all the time this time of year, “So things winding down now over there?” Or something similar.   I tell them that we don’t seem to “wind down”….we stay full speed and seem to pick up a crazy pace all the way to the end….we go full speed off the cliff to finish the year. 

I am not a runner…but the few things I have done in a 5K or while jogging prove that I can push myself when the end is in sight.  If I was running aimlessly and didn’t know how long I had to keep it up….I would quit.  I would walk or sit down.  BUT, if I know that the finish line is close and my pain will come to an end soon, I can keep moving.  I can even pick up the pace to get there faster. 

That is where we are now…we have the days numbered…we know it is coming…there is a beach or pool or hammock in our sights!   But, we have lots to accomplish and push through to get there.  There is nothing wrong with picturing the finish line…actually I think it helps you not sit down or start walking!

Thanks for pushing through the end for these kids!

Happy Friday! 

Monday Mush

Steve Jobs had a life of driven passion and excellence.  He had a vision for how to live each day….of course he had big broad vision, but he took it in chunks.  So each morning he asked himself a simple but highly motivating question…..Below is a short youtube about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5SMyfbWYyE (1:53)

I hope that vision provides you with motivation.  I hope it provides you the ability to say “yes, I am doing what I should and want to be doing” – I hope that is true for all of us.  I hope that every day we can see the world clearly as we would if we knew our days were numbered. 

Thank you for giving your passion and your energy to tomorrow’s future….thank you for being all in here.

Happy Monday!

Friday Flush -- Reflection Time

Today’s “Flush” is going to be a little different….I often ask for reflection on a topic or idea.  But, this weekend, I will leave it more open ended….I would love for you to find someone to share your thoughts on one of the above quotes with.  Over the phone, over coffee, over email….find a way to process through with a good friend, spouse, or relative.

I believe strongly in what we do as a profession…it is our mission…we plant seeds….seeds that will one day be harvested….and I believe everyone deserves a second chance….a chance to become someone better than the day before.  I know that as educators we see the meaning behind these quotes in our students’ faces.

I hope your weekend is great…full of family and friends and sun…pools are open and we can almost taste summer….but make sure that you find time to reflect and to grow. 

Thank you for all you do!

Happy Friday! 

Monday Mush -- Teacher Appreciation Week

Happy Teacher’s Appreciation Week! 

You deserve much more than a week of celebration for all you do!  I hope this week that you are spoiled, and that you realize the impact that you have on so many people.  The future will literally be changed based upon you passion and your dedication. 

I appreciate you….I know the hours…I know the tears….I know the pain of putting up with me….You guys are stellar.  You give every day, and you go home time….then, you get up and do it again.  But deep down you are driven to do so because you want a better tomorrow.  You see in kids things that they don’t see in themselves. 

Thank you so much for all you do…thank you for making a difference….I hope it is an amazing week!

Happy Monday!