Thrive
It has - after a relaxing summer break which included time to rejuvenate, travel, and connect with friends followed by the insanely long hours over the last few weeks in preparation for the first day of school - been wonderful to squeeze in some time to finish reading Ariana Huffington’s book, Thrive.
Through well chosen anecdotes, carefully selected quotes, and passages of thinking out loud and reflecting on life, Thrive, is a gentle reminder as to how we can become better versions of ourselves. Described as “a passionate call to arms, looking to redefine what is meant to be successful in today’s world”, she implores a move from the metrics of money and power. In lieu of these traditional metrics, she suggests measuring success according to the Third Metric which encompasses the four pillars of well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving.
As a friend recently wrote to me “... it’s amazing how it’s all about self care nowadays when nobody taught us to be that earlier.. not school, not family, not Uni.. definitely not work as they squeeze every last $ ... & now the world realizes how imp! Finally! ....”
We are all acutely aware of the stress educators (and many others) are under and thus, the importance of self care is paramount. These five links offer some suggestions for well-being and wisdom:
~ Kristen Moreland’s Five Ways to Practice Self Care in the Summer reiterates the importance of restoring balance by putting oneself first (especially if having neglected oneself over the school year). Whilst intended to be read prior to the break, it seems there is much to take from her five suggestions (start every morning with movement, commit to one hour of professional reading a day, take naps, eat delicious food, and spend time with people (you) love). I love that after each of her five suggestions, she has written “preferably outside”. While these five suggestions are no doubt easier to implement extensively during vacation time, elements can still be considered and implemented during the school year.
~ Dan Pink’s Pinkcast, These are the 5 ways to make your breaks more replenishing, is short (the video is less than two minutes long) and sweet, yet includes very doable suggestions. The fourth one which states, “outside beats inside” echoes Kristen Moreland’s “preferably outside” comment.
~ In ASCD’s Educational Leadership summer edition entitled Fighting Educator Burnout, Starr Sackstein’s article Going From Teacher to Leader—Without Losing Your Way, included the following, “Burnout happens when we put an unrealistic amount of responsibility and expectations on ourselves. As a new leader, it's important to maintain your priorities and understand that you can only accomplish so much in a day. It's vital to keep some time for something you love that isn't related to the job. And to be patient with yourself when you don't adhere to your plans.”
~ George Couros’, The Importance of Rest, Relaxation, and Rejuvenation for Long-Term Growth, has the great line, “Work on yourself, not on your job” and this wonderful image to reiterate his point.
~ Lastly, I appreciate the moral (which seems to be apt throughout the year and not just for educators) of The Power of Doing Nothing at All.
The above are just a few examples which resonate with me as they encompass directly and/or indirectly the notion of well-being and wisdom.
I am most aware that I seem to constantly come back to issues relating to school culture and/or self care in my blogs.
With summer slowly becoming a distant memory, I invite you to consider how you can best have the four pillars (well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving) at the heart of your personal and professional life.
RESOURCES:
Couros, G., The Importance of Rest, Relaxation, and Rejuvenation for Long-Term Growth
Huffington, A., Thrive
Moreland, K., Five Ways to Practice Self Care in the Summer
Pink, D., These are the 5 ways to make your breaks more replenishing (Pinkcast)
Tank, A., The Power of Doing Nothing at All