Sometimes we perceive words, statements or questions as negative; when they might not have that connotation at all! This post is titled, "I've run into a problem!" But let me explain....
My last post published in this blog was when I entered into a new position as a vice-principal at a middle school in the Fall of 2014. It felt so foreign to me that I described it like landing on the moon, a distant and unknown place. And just to put some context here, it's been so long that I've opened this blog that I couldn't remember my password or where I wrote that down (maybe one day I'll find it on some sticky note buried in boxes of my old "saved" documents), so I had to go through a series of steps to send a code to another device and retrieve it. I'm sure you have experienced this and you know how that goes.
Anyways, I guess I've been a little busy just figuring out my new role from teacher to administrator, and I've been occupied with all the decisions that I make daily which impact and affect my community. So, yes it has been a challenging journey, and it's been a steep learning curve, but it's not been bad. I'm now celebrating my third year as an elementary school principal (my transition was February 2017), and although I'm still figuring this thing out, I look forward to going to work every day. I'm exactly where I want to be and I'm doing exactly what I want to do.
There are numerous opportunities every day to make a real difference in the lives of students, their families, and the staff I work with. This is the reward of being an educator leader. However, all along the way there are many challenges to navigate and storms to endure; and this can take a mental, emotional and physical toll. September 2018 I hit a personal wall and my health failed. I had been pushing too hard, not taking care of myself, and ignoring what was going on in my body. Since then I've been on a journey towards improving my health and finding the right balance between work, family and my own personal goals. I am now seeing three different specialists, I have changed my diet, and been running consistently now for the past five months (now this post's title comes more into perspective). All of these changes have given me a positive outlook for my life, the work I get to be involved in, and the people I am connected to and who matter to me!
I have come to understand through my running, that I have more capacity to go beyond my limits than I realized. I have also allowed myself to make more time to reflect and be healthy (if you have read my twitter posts, you will have seen this). None of this has happened without sacrifice, commitment, and pure hard work. So I say that when problems come your way, "run into them" and make the changes you need to, and you will come out better on the other side, and you'll be thankful that you did!
I've enjoyed following your running journey on Twitter Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteRecently I said in a post:
"With these routines I created something outside of my work schedule that encouraged self-care. They gave me sustenance when my work scheduled didn’t.
It seems counter-intuitive, that adding a bunch of extra routines helped me manage my busy schedule better, but they have strengthened my skills as an educator and a leader. I’m fitter and have more energy. I’m listening to non-fiction books that I constantly connect to my job. I reflect on my learning and life lessons here on my blog."
You are saying the same thing here: "All of these changes have given me a positive outlook for my life, the work I get to be involved in, and the people I am connected to and who matter to me!"
It's amazing how self-care can help us thrive in other areas of life and the work we do. To use a running metaphor, it helps us keep ourselves on a good stride... keeping pace with all the things that fill the rest of our lives.
Nice to see you blogging again!
Thanks Dave for your comment. I connect with what you are saying and you have been an inspiration for me from my early days to get into blogging!
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