Be There

I want to write more.
I want to tweet more.
I want to read more.
I want to plan for the upcoming school year more.
I want to connect with friends more.
I want to exercise more.
I want to spend more time with my family.
I want to be better.
I want to be great.

The above statements can be overwhelming at times.

However, I am quite effective when it comes to advising others to relax, slow down, practice patience, take one thing at a time, etc. I have to remember to do those same things for me. I have to practice what I preach.

And while I want to do all of those above listed things, and more, I can't do them all at once.

http://www.fishphilosophy.com/

Last year, Hamish Brewer introduced me to the FiSH philosophy, for which I will forever be grateful. After reading the book, I instantly fell in love with it and it's principles - Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude. This book and the message that it shares has been a game changer for me.

I think that I do a really good job of always choosing my attitude, appropriately. I've got some ideas and systems in place to accomplish Play and Make Their Day. It's being there where I sometimes struggle, both at home and school. At times, I can be guilty of spending too much time thinking about what has happened and/or too much time thinking about what's coming next. This is the area where I know I need to focus. This is the area where I want to focus.

Kris Bryant points to the ground in an effort to stay in the moment.
Photo via the Chicago Tribune
via Zoul's blog.

Fast forward a little while, and Jeff Zoul wrote a blog specific to the Be There principle titled Staying in the Moment. I love this post. And not only do I love this post because it appeals to my liking of sports and more specifically the Chicago Cubs, but it also serves up a strategy, a visual reminder for how we can remind ourselves and the company that we keep to Be There - to be present for each individual moment that we encounter.

This is an area of focus for me, personally, as the 2016-17 school year approaches. Having this awareness will help. Shining a light on this as something that I am working-on/need to work-on will force me to make efforts to improve.

Kids Deserve It tweeted the image pictured, below. I printed it, and it now hangs in my office as a reminder. I want to better. I want to be great. But I have to remember to Be There in each individual moment. Let go of what just happened, and don't worry so much about what's going to happen. Be There. Stay in each moment, fully present and fully engaged. My family deserves it. My staff deserves it. My students deserve it.