Declutter Your Thoughts Ep. 89

November 6, 2024 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Declutter Your Thoughts

Season 6 Episode 89

Check out this episode to find out declutter your thoughts to tame the racing in your head!

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Do you ever feel like you have so many thoughts running through your head that you can’t really get a grasp on any of them? Do you feel like all of these thoughts keep you from thinking the happy and peaceful thoughts you want to think? We certainly do.

In this episode we explore how we can take 5 simple, common, home-decluttering strategies and apply them to decluttering our thoughts.

Decluttering our thoughts isn’t nearly as difficult as you might imagine, AND it will give us all more time to focus on the thoughts that really matter.

Introduction:

In the past few years, we have all either heard, read or listened to experts telling us how to declutter our homes.

Can you hear Marie Kondo’s voice in your head or are you imagining the tv show Hot Mess House on Discovery Plus?

Because of her decluttering advice, Marie Kondo’s name has become a household name, in some cases even a verb, as in “I am going to Marie Kondo my closet today.” What is so amazing about Marie Kondo and others is that their simple wisdom about what could appear at a quick glance to be about decluttering a room or a house, was actually life-changing for millions of people.

What Marie Kondo and other decluttering experts helped us to see is that if you have a lot of clutter, it can prevent you from feeling good about yourself and your life. We all started realizing that if we reduce the clutter in our lives, we can improve our mental health and decluttering also can help us to focus on what we really value.

Marie’s philosophy on clutter and life, is probably best summarized with this quote, “To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.”

That is great advice for decluttering our houses…. and all those thoughts spinning around in our head every day!

Let’s rewrite her famous quote just a bit to apply to decluttering our thoughts: “To truly cherish the thoughts that are important to you, you must first discard those thoughts that have outlived their purpose. To throw away thoughts that you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.”

What we see in this is the connection between the decluttering of our physical space and also the decluttering of our thoughts. In the crazy, busy world we are in, information is coming at us like water from a firehouse. Our brains rarely get a change to slow down. They are cluttered with too many thoughts. Decluttering these thought is good and it is necessary.

So, we share 5 tips, designed to help declutter your home, that will work perfectly to declutter all of those thoughts we are experiencing as well! Mental clutter can build up quickly, so let’s Marie Kondo it out!

Decluttering Tip #1: Declutter Regularly

We learned from the organizational gurus of the last few years that decluttering on a regular basis can help keep your home clean and make the process of maintaining the sense of zen easier. Decluttering can’t just be a “one and done.” It needs to be an ongoing and intentional process.

The same can be said for decluttering our thoughts. Think of the volume of thoughts that come into heads every second of the day.

This is where habits and living mindfully connect.

Paula: We have both talked about how we like to have our quiet time in the morning. For me, that is a time to declutter my thoughts. Over a cup of coffee, I can journal, allowing me to focus on specific thoughts and shut out the others that don’t matter at that moment. I get up before everyone else in my house, every day, so I can have that time. My best thinking of the day happens at that time, because I can declutter using some of the strategies we will discuss here today, but most importantly, I do it daily. If I decluttered my thoughts early in the morning once per year, it wouldn’t have nearly as much of an impact as it does doing it daily.

Michele: My brain often feels like it is exploding with too much information. I take in a lot of information intentionally. I read a lot. I make lists endlessly. Once I have written something on a list, I can usually stop the panic in my head. Of course I usually have multiple lists so I can keep things organized- a work list, a home to-do list, even lists of books I want to read or lists for individual projects.

Decluttering Tip #2: Start Small

The home decluttering experts emphasize repeatedly how important it is to break down your decluttering task into smaller, more manageable chunks.

For example, if you want to declutter your bedroom, they suggest you start small- choosing a small area of your room to organize- one dresser drawer for example. Or if you are starting with your closet, they say not to try to tackle the whole thing in a day- start with 5 minutes at a time.

If you’re new to decluttering, you can slowly build momentum with just five minutes a day, or maybe you start with 5 minutes on the first day and add an additional minute to your decluttering tasks each day until you are decluttering 10 or 15 minutes each day.

The same theory is true with decluttering your thoughts. If your brain feels like it is going 100 miles an hour, all day every day, saying that you are going to meditate for 3 hours each day to clear your thoughts is going to lead to failure. Start small. Break the decluttering of your thoughts into smaller, more manageable chunks of time.

Paula: I have gotten into a habit sometime over the past few years of setting the timer on my phone for 1 minute or 2 minutes if I feel like my thoughts are racing and it is impacting my thinking. I just sit for that 1 or 2 minutes and breath, following the meditation process of not thinking anything on purpose, letting thoughts flow in and out of my head like passing clouds but not focusing on them. I am always amazed at the difference I feel after just 1 or 2 minutes.

Of course I can’t do that all day, and we could never do that while teaching, but there is something to be said for the power in finding 1 or 2 minutes to declutter our thoughts. Trying to do that same exercise for 30 or 40 minutes whenever I feel like my thoughts are really racing would never work. I don’t have that long of a chunk of time. Try it in the car or taking a minute or two alone in the bathroom to just breathe.

Michele: I wish I could do that- let the thoughts just float by me. A few minutes organizing my calendar or my lists helps. It also helps to journal- or just write things down. If it is written down, I know the thought is safe or that it had been attended to. Then I can either let it go or deal with it later.

Decluttering Tip #3: Take Out the Trash

Decluttering experts warn that before you can organize the things that are important to you, you’ll need to get rid of the stuff that isn’t. They suggest going through the space you want to organize with a trash bag, stuffing the bag with things you know you don’t need. They encourage people to be ruthless when clearing out your space. If it’s expired, you don’t need it. Throw it.

The idea is to not organize the junk!

When decluttering your life, the experts suggest trashing the apps on your phone that you don’t need. Look at the apps on your phone. When was the last time you used some of them? How many subscriptions do you automatically pay for that you no longer need? Deleting what you haven’t used in the past few months is a good way to quickly declutter your devices and give yourself some extra space.

Some experts suggest you throw away, or give away, one item away each day. This would remove 365 items every single year from your home. If you increased this to 2 per day, you would have given away 730 items you no longer needed. That’s a lot of stuff.

Now, let’s think about what this means for decluttering your thoughts. It means you have permission to trash those thoughts that are expired. What are the thoughts you no longer need? Get rid of those first. Getting these thoughts out of your head will give you space to examine the remaining thoughts more clearly.

Michele: The thoughts I often need to trash are the ones concerning other people. I can’t control other people. I have to let go ideas about what they should do or how they should handle something. I can’t solve all the problems, it isn’t mine to solve. I have to let it go! It’s hard to do sometimes, it’s a practice and it is evolving.

Paula: For me, the expired thoughts, that I need to trash, are negative things that people have said to me in the past that stick in my head but are no longer relevant. These may be criticisms that were legit that I have fixed or they may be unfounded remarks that were trash from the beginning but I have held on to them and they reemerge when I am doubting myself. They don’t serve me. I need to throw them out and stop allowing them to come back in. These thoughts take up space that the positive thoughts could inhabit.

Decluttering Tip #4: Sort and Organize Items

Home decluttering experts often tell us to sort items into piles, grouping similar items. Create categories and keep items that are similar together so you know where to find them. They suggest that you don’t skip a single item, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. This exercise helps you see how many items you really own and you’ll know exactly what to do with each item.

For example, you could organize your bathroom drawers into categories such as “medicine,” “beauty products” or “nail care.” However, you choose to organize, be sure to think about whether this streamlines your use of those items which is what you want to do ultimately to make your life easier.

The same can be said of sorting and organizing your thoughts. For example, if you are driving to work thinking about supper ingredients you haven’t put together yet, the materials you need to prep for your first lesson, you child’s soccer forms you haven’t filled out yet, and a million other things. Start sorting those thoughts. For example, the categories could be “things for work today”, “things to think about on the way home”, “things for the weekend” etc. Then you can work through the most important first- like the “things for work today” on the way to work and put the others off until your drive home since you can’t do anything about them on the way to work anyway.

Paula: I make lists of my thoughts. If I am worried I am going to forget something I write it down or email it to myself. That way I don’t forget and can focus on the most pressing category of thoughts without the distractions of other categories. For example, yesterday I emailed myself a list of 3 things I needed to ask my husband to do. Once I emailed them, that category of things, I could focus on the category at hand.

Michele: I do this naturally with many different lists. It helps me to then do one list at a time. This usually works, but it is dangerous if I have so many lists that my lists become overwhelming. One of my lists is always a top three things I must do today, and that has been very effective.

Decluttering Tip #5: Limit New Items.

When you buy something new, try to get rid of something else.

This decluttering advice is pretty self-explanatory. When you bring something new in, take something out. We don’t want to be hoarders. We can’t keep all the things or it can be overwhelming.

The same is true with our thoughts.

Decide which thoughts can have real estate in your brain and which can’t. Some thoughts just be let go when you bring a new thought in. They can’t all have space there.

Paula: I went to the ATM to get cash and my PIN number was just gone. I kept bringing new thoughts in without getting rid of old ones, so my brain did the work for me. Unfortunately, my brain decided to get rid of my PIN number. I wish I would have made an intentional choice of the non-essential thought to get rid of.

Michele: Yikes! Your brain is deciding what to let go of. I haven’t done that. I have let go of things that I might regret someday. I no longer know anyone’s phone numbers. I don’t know birth dates either, unless it is on my calendar. I also stopped thinking about things on my husband’s lists or his to-do items. For whatever reason, I used to get things like his prescription refill notices. I need to get that out of my brain. He can control that!

We hope that these decluttering tips are helpful. Maybe you’ve found one in particular that speaks to you.

We end with this quote by writer Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe:

“The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least”

Recap:

In this episode we explored how we can take 5 simple, common, home-decluttering strategies and apply them to decluttering our thoughts. By decluttering regularly, starting small, taking out the trash, sorting and organizing and limiting new items, it will give us all more time to focus on the thoughts that really matter.

Quote:

“The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least”

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

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Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Living with Grace Ep. 88

October 30, 2024 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Living With Grace Season 6 Episode 88

Check out this episode to learn how to combat tension and divisiveness by living with grace for yourself and others.

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

The following notes are key concepts from the episode, not a word for word transcript. We generally start with key points and then give examples and stories to illustrate the ideas. For the best experience, we recommend that you listen to the episode.

Introduction:

As this episode drops, it is just before the presidential election and our country, and the world in general seems extremely divisive. People are pitted against each other and anger and hurt are escalated. We are constantly surrounded by news and social media that allows fear and worry and shame to enter our daily thoughts.

People are hurting, and as a society we are recognizing the need to support mental health.

In this arena, there is support and comfort in living with grace. Stay tuned to today’s episode as we discuss living with grace. Why do we need it? What does it look like? And most importantly, how can you level up your own life by choosing to live with grace.

What do we mean when we use the phrase “living with grace”?

When we talk about living with grace, we aren’t talking about being graceful, like a ballerina, though that might also be a worthy goal.

Living with grace is about choosing to be a better person.

It means showing kindness, or understanding or forgiveness.

It means having an open mind and being accepting of others’ beliefs and values.

Grace is a refinement- it is the absence of difficulty and instead feeling ease. It means making moments less serious, severe or difficult. Living with grace means being thoughtful, rather than overreacting. It means having common courtesy, which sometimes doesn’t seem all that common.

Michele: I remember a situation with a person who I had know for a long time but often struggled with. I felt judged by her and didn’t think she really liked me. We had a large holiday party and she was there. My daughter, who was four or five at the time, came running up to me crying and then proceeded to vomit all over everything- including herself, the floor, and the furniture. This person jumped in immediately and told me to go take care of my daughter and she would take care of everything. She’d find the paper towels and clean it all up. I was surprised by her kindness, and I remember it clearly to this day. I see that as an act of grace from one mom to another.

Paula: I think of grace in a teaching situation. We all know those students who it would be easy to be angry or upset with. But when we step back and look at them through a lens of understanding or kindness, that is giving them grace. They come in and they are angry or upset and if you feed into their anger you make them even more angry or upset.

When you say something like, “It sounds like you’re having a rough day. Can you tell me what’s going on, I’d love to be able to help,” you’re showing grace to that student. We all know when we’ve said something like that, their whole demeanor can change. Sometimes we don’t give each other enough credit for giving grace to students. It can be difficult to give grace to others.

Let’s look at some ways we might work on living with grace.

Give yourself grace.

Sometimes, we hijack our own brains. We’re hard on ourselves and sometimes unforgiving.

That leads to a lot of personal doubt, the feelings that I’m not worthy enough, or I’m not good enough.

We tend to overemphasize our mistakes and let them drive our feelings about ourselves.

What would happen if we gave ourselves more grace? We could forgive ourselves.

Recognize that what is over is done. You can’t go back, so you need to move forward.

Think of this through the lens of how you would treat a friend. Treat yourself like you would treat a friend. What would you tell a friend? You would speak kindly. We give grace to our friends. When they are in a rough time, we’d say things like, “It’s okay, you’re in a rough time, you’re doing the best you can at this time.”

How often do we talk to ourselves like that? Not often. That playlist in our mind to ourselves rarely includes giving ourselves grace. If we added that into our internal conversation, wouldn’t that be wonderful? It is a goal for so many of us, we’ve thought about it, but we don’t think of it as giving ourselves grace. ” That’s okay. It’s alright. You’re doing the best you can.”

Why is it so hard for us to say that to ourselves?

It is like the well-known phrase from Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, you do better.” That is the truth of it, you’re probably doing the best you can at the time.

Give yourself grace as you are learning and doing better.

Extend grace to others.

This one can be difficult. Sometimes it is easy to judge others. But you don’t know the whole story. You don’t know what they might be going through.

Paula: I was once working with a coach and having a difficult time with someone. The coach asked me, “What would change if you looked at it through the lens of someone who is…” and she proceeded to tell me the things this person was going through.

I immediately understood. She said, “Imagine extending that grace to her. Although she is not the best colleague, this is what she is going through in her life that makes her not her best.”

I think about that often. What if I assumed the best of her? Maybe she’s having a bad day because of what she is going through. People around us are struggling all the time, with an illness or a problem with a loved one- things that we don’t know.

What if I saw her through the lens of this? My first thought is that I would give her grace. We need to extend grace to others.

What would be the worst thing that would happen if you always assume the best of others?

Michele: Sometimes I find it easy to take offense. If the clerk at the grocery store is rude to me, I feel it. I also assume it is about me, even though intellectually, I don’t even know that person and I know it isn’t about me. I have to remind myself to brush it off and let it go. I don’t know what is going on with her, but it is not about me.

Another way to live with grace is to respect diverse beliefs and perspectives.

Respect diverse beliefs and perspectives.

There would be a lot fewer problems in the world if we could all learn to respect other people’s beliefs and perspectives. That also might mean being open to learning about them. We’re educators, we should be open to learning.

We tend to fear something we don’t understand. When we don’t know or understand something about someone else that seems strange or different to us it’s easy to be fearful of them.

Michele: I observed a group of Muslim men praying at the airport. A clock had started chiming, and their tradition is to pray five times a day by dropping to your knees while facing Mecca. They were very reverent. I wish that everyone could observe acts such as these. It diminishes the fear and helps you see people in a fuller, more humanistic way.

The stereotype is that all Muslims are extremists and terrorists. You can pick them out from central casting displayed in almost every American movie about violence. If you don’t know anything about their lives or their culture, it is easy to be fearful of the unknown.

There is also a Muslim tradition to make the words “ God is good” the first words they speak to a new baby.

If people could see this kind of practice and understand it, they would not be afraid of someone just because they are Muslim.

Paula: In Uganda, I had to learn to give people grace. I saw a little baby crawling in a village with no adult supervising. I was quick to judge. Where is the mother? How could a baby be crawling around without a mother? This was an example of “It takes a village to raise a child.” Everyone needed to know that child in case something happened to the mother and she was not able to take care of it.

The mother was actually being a good mother by allowing her child to be independent and go out and seek others. In our culture here, if a baby was crawling around outside it would be very different. I had to give that mother grace. How difficult it must have been for her to let the baby go crawling around, knowing that it would find its way home or someone would turn it around towards home.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place, if we could all respect each other’s beliefs and perspectives? And then give a little grace once we’ve learned about it?

Try to see the good in the world.

There is certainly negativity and evil in the world. Bad things happen. News and social media feed the negativity.

It can be overwhelming, and if you let it, it can change your viewpoint towards the negative.

What if we believed that life is essentially good and that people are essentially good?

There would be less to worry about. There would be less fear.

We can choose to flip the script and assume that people is good and that life is good. As Mr. Rogers famously said, in any bad situation, “ look for the helpers.” The helpers are the good in the world. That is an example of seeing the good in the world. There may be helpers out in the world but we miss them because we aren’t looking for them.

Michele: I am currently loving a CBS Morning Segment called Kindness 101 with Steve Hartman and his children. It is available at CBS website or YouTube. They find a story of someone who has done something kind and they explore that kindness. They interview the person and the kids ask questions. Now they have just rolled out an initiative for schools with lessons and materials. It always makes me feel good! I am also rewarded by knowing that there is good in the world.

Paula: I love the show what Would You Do? by John Quinones. People are put into a situation that is challenging. They don’t know it is a fake situation. For example, it might be a bakery and the clerk refuses to serve someone because of their race or gender. Then they stand by and watch what people will do. Often, people will step up and ask the person what they wanted to order and offer to order it. Then they interview the people afterwards to find out why they chose to step in. So many times it is because they saw the injustice and wanted to make the world a better place.

I also remember learning about silver linings when I was taking a class for my Masters’ program and it has stuck with me. For every cloud, there is a silver lining and the silver lining is actually the beauty in the cloud. If you only look at the dark cloud, you will only see the dark cloud. If you see the silver lining, the shiny part, that is the good in the world. That’s the beauty, the bright spot peaking through.

Even in a bad situation there is a silver lining, that’s the beauty.

We’re not glossing over this and saying that everything is rosy all the time. We know that there are lots of issues and challenges in our world. But you can also see beyond them, or behind them, or in them see possibilities and opportunities to change things. That is the silver lining.

Yes, there is something bad, but I can step in, I can do something or I can say something. That’s hard. it takes a lot of courage but that is the silver lining, knowing that something can be better.

When a person is on the receiving side of grace, they are more likely to reciprocate.

We can do that in our world. We’re more powerful than we think.

Conclusion:

We end today with this quote from author and teacher Caroline Myss,

“Grace is a power that comes in and transforms a moment into something better.”

If you want to make the world better, make the moments better.

Recap:

Living with grace can help us to be kinder and better people and to impact the world in positive ways. You can start by giving yourself grace. You can also give grace to others. Grace is fueled when we respect others’ beliefs and perspectives, and when we try to see the good in the world.

Did you know that we have a free resource called The Inspired Teacher’s guide to Taking Back Your life? Get it here.

Quote:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, you do better.”

Maya Angelou

“Grace is a power that comes in and transforms a moment into something better.”

Caroline Myss

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Who Are You When You’re Teaching at Your Best? A Fun, Insightful Activity

October 23, 2024 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Who Are You When You’re Teaching at Your Best? A Fun, Insightful Activity

Season 6 Episode 87

Listen to this episode to learn a fun, quick strategy that will give you insight to who you are when you are teaching at your best!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Who are you when you’re teaching at your best?

Today’s episode is an exploration of who we are as teachers, and what this means for our lives in and out of the classroom. Together we will complete an activity that is inspired by an exercise from the book, The Courage to Teach, by one of our favorite educators of all time, Parker Palmer.

We’re sharing a fun and reflective activity what will get you diving deep into who you are as a teacher.

You might laugh, you might cry, but at the very minimum we guarantee that 20 minutes from now, you will see yourself as a teacher and a person in a whole new way… and we will have some fun in the process.

In this episode:

The following show notes are a summary of key points in the episode. To get all of the examples and stories we share, listen to the podcast.

Introduction:

If you have listened to any of our podcast episodes, you know we love talking about teaching. We especially like talking about teaching when we can make connections between who we are as teachers and who we are in our lives outside of school…. because there are definitely connections. Today, we are going to share with you an activity what we love to facilitate because, besides being fun, it is insightful into who we are as teachers and as people.

First, we need to give credit where credit is due. Several years ago, we read about this activity in the book The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer. Even though this activity was only talked about in 2 and a half pages of the 200 page book, we loved it so much that we took his premise, changed it up a bit, and expanded upon it.

So without further delay, let’s get started.

First, here is what you don’t need- You don’t need a pen or paper. You don’t need self-doubt or judgement. There is no room for any of that in this activity.

You do need- to come into this activity with an open mind and an honest heart. We will both share our examples with you, and we will share the examples of two teachers who completed this activity with us in the past, just to give you context. We will call them Becky and Charlie. Your responses will be different than any of us, they will be unique to you. That is part of what makes this so fun and insightful.

This activity involves a series of questions about who you are as a teacher but as you will see, you will learn about yourself as well.

Question #1- How would you complete this sentence?

Say the first thing that comes to your mind to complete this sentence. Don’t overthink. Just answer.

“When I am teaching at my best, I am like a _____________________.”

Because this idea was inspired by Parker Palmer, we will share his metaphor first and then share our examples. Parker said, “When I am teaching at my best, I am like a sheepdog- not the large, shaggy, lovable kind, but the all-business Border collies one sees working the flocks in sheep country.“ He goes on to say that sheep dogs maintain the space for the sheep to graze, holds them together and brings back strays, protects them and moves them to other places when the grazing ground is depleted. He feels he does that when he is teaching at his best.

Paula: When I am teaching at my best, I am like a great hostess at a gathering of friends. I am the “Hostess with the mostest.” The great hostess weaves through the crowd flowing in and out of conversations, making sure people are getting out of the party what they came for, making sure the environment and conversation are engaging, creating a safe place with all the amenities to make it a charged environment that no one wants to leave when it is over. That is exactly what I feel like when I am teaching at my best.

Michele: When I am teaching at my best I am like an interior designer. I make the environment warm and welcoming and a good place for learning. People will feel comfortable and safe, and know that they are welcomed and that they will be heard. My space could be beautiful, but it also functions well, with room for all kinds of activities. It’s is fun and pleasant but if I’ve done it well, you don’t necessarily notice all the elements in the room but it somehow works well for you. It meets the needs and activities of the people who are there.

Here are some examples of teachers we worked with:

Charles: Charles is one of our favorite teachers on this planet. He said, “When I am teaching at my best, I am like a unicorn, I make the classroom a magical place.” We just want to add that we have seen Charles teach and it really is like watching magic.

Another teacher we worked with is Becky. Becky said, “When I am teaching at my best, I am like a tour guide. I am leading my students on a journey. I am guiding them through an amazing tour of all of their learning”.

So what is your metaphor? When I am teaching at my best I am like a ….

Once you have this question answered you are ready to move on to the next questions. However, if you have not answered this question yet, do not move on yet because the rest of the activity is based on your answer to this.

Question #2- What are the “strengths” you have related to this metaphor?

Now, list the strengths of the metaphor you listed. Don’t be humble here. Be honest. You chose your metaphor for a reason. Let’s say you said, “When I am teaching at my best I am like a rainbow” then start listing your favorite things about a rainbow (colorful, hopeful, awe-inspiring, bright). If they match you, own those verbs, adverbs, or adjectives with pride.

Paula: Because it is easy to Google “the strengths of a good hostess” I did and here is what I got- The strengths of a good hostess that mirror my strengths- friendly, personable, welcoming, outgoing, confident, composed, team spirit, willing to learn, and sets a positive tone. The crazy thing about this is that I have kept a note on my desk for my WHOLE teaching career, and I still have it there that says, “I set the tone” and tone setting is literally one of the top ten things I read about good hostesses when I did an online search. I know I picked a good metaphor.

Michele: Paula, that is amazing. I have seen those sticky notes in various colors in your office through the years. The traits of an interior designer I selected are creating a calm, welcoming, safe, comfortable, space. A good interior designer also knows to understand the people and who will be in the space and what they need to be comfortable.

In the example of our teacher friend who is a Unicorn, he is magical and captivating, full of personality and rare as teachers go, which he is! Our tour guide teacher, Becky, is charismatic, genuine, energetic all words to describe a tour guide.

Now take a second to think of your strengths that align to your metaphor.

Question #3- What are the “Bright Spots” that happen in your classroom related to this metaphor?

Think of specific bright spots that have happened in your classroom in the past related to your metaphor. They may be general feelings or specific events that have brightened your day.

For example, we said Charles is like a unicorn when he is teaching at his best. He does unique activities that other teachers may be too afraid to do. He dresses up. He sings. The students are totally under his spell like a magical power that he has over them. The parents of his students talk about how their elementary students love him, which is a magical thing. Every day he walks into the classroom dressed up as another historical figure, he has created magical learning that will never be forgotten.

That is not for everyone. Not all of us can be magical. We don’t all dress up as characters, that is his gift.

Becky talked about how she, as a tour guide when she was teaching at her best, could expose her students to information they would never have had exposure to. As a world traveler herself, she brought back artifacts from around the world that students could hold in their hands to experience foreign places in ways that could never be replicated with just a book. She animatedly told them about people and places that they then aspired to learn about.

A good teacher does help to open up the world to students, helping them understand other people, places, and experiences they have never had. Both of these teachers are great teachers. They are also different from each other but they are teaching with their gifts.

Paula: When I am like a hostess, I know that students feel comfortable in my classroom. I make sure there is a sense of community, making sure everyone has a chance to talk to different people and hear different perspectives, just like a hostess would make sure people were doing at her party.

I welcome my students with excitement and truly enjoy their presence which students will tell me years later that they appreciated about me and my classroom. They tell me years later, “We always thought you loved teaching our class. ” That is because I did. They also tell me, ” We felt that you loved us as individuals,” and that’s because I do.

Michele: That is who you are as a teacher. This is not a stretch to say these things, it is who are you. In my interior designer magical home or bright spots, I think of the people who will be in the space and the exquisite conversations that will take place there. I love setting up the right chairs, a fire in the fireplace,scented candles, maybe some soft music and in my home, often with a glass of wine.

Everyone is engaged in the conversation, they are listening and sometimes even arguing. They are all wrapped up in the discussion and it goes on and on, until someone says, “oh look at the time, we have to get going!” No one wants it to end.

I love it when that happens in a classroom and you have those exquisite conversations. You are walking towards the hallway after class and everyone is still talking. Those are the golden moments for me.”

Isn’t it amazing how each of our unique teaching and personal characteristic are already clear in just these few questions based off our metaphors?

We could expand upon our bright spots for sure, but we will keep it short for the sake of this podcast. Now think about yourself. Take time to pause this if you need to. List bright spots that happen in your classroom related to your metaphor. You can dive as deep into this as you want. You can keep your list short like we did, or sit and think on it for a long time. The longer you think, the more bright spots you will come up with and you will think of many if you give yourself the time.

You will also get the warm and fuzzy feeling as you bask in these good memories.

Question #4- What are the “Shadows” of your metaphor that may apply to you?

While it is fun to look at the bright spots, we also need to explore the not so wonderful traits. Parker Palmer calls them the “shadows” of your metaphor.

What are the potentially negative parts of your metaphor? Google if you want or just list them from your memory or experiences.

Paula: For example, hostesses can get way to pre-occupied with details and forget the real reason they are there, for the people. I do that for sure. They can become indifferent to the needs of their guest if they decide they need to stick too closely to a predetermined party plan or get to focused on the logistics. I can work on that.

Our unicorn teacher friend worried that other teachers might not take him seriously, that unicorns are often perceived as fun but unrealistic. Unicorns are also seen as a fantasy vs being the real thing and he wanted to be taken seriously as a teacher because he really knew how to teach.

Charles is a really phenomenal teacher. He has serious teaching skills and content knowledge, and he also does things in a playful way. We’ve all know those teachers who are all flash and no substance. He didn’t want that.

Michele: My shadow is that interior design might feel very superficial. I know a lot of people couldn’t care less about how their environment looks. They don’t pay attention to how it feels. Some people think I am obsessed, then they turn around and ask me to help with their house!

I also worry about being thought of as all flash and no substance. If you pay attention though, there is substance and function. There are reasons for why things are the way they are. It is about how the space makes you feel and how it helps you to understand yourself and how you are in the world. It’s actually pretty deep.

Parker Palmer noticed the irony in his “sheepdog” metaphor, that he could potentially just see his students as sheep who follow and not notice them as individuals.

What are the shadows of your metaphor? This isn’t meant to make you feel bad. It is meant to draw awareness.

Question 5#- What are the “Darker Spots” that happen in your classroom related to this metaphor?

Think about how the shadows of the metaphor could play out in your classroom, causing darker spots in the day or the environment. Like the bright spots you may be able to come up with generalizations or specific instances of darker spots in your classroom related to your metaphor.

Michele: For me, it is when someone doesn’t connect to my environment. I have failed to bring them into my world, my environment didn’t work for them.

Paula: Like a good party planner, I like to plan. When I come up with a great plan or activity, I am excited to see how it plays out in the classroom. If it starts to bomb, I go into full “hostess mode” trying to make it all right again, trying to salvage it so everyone is still happy and engaged. Because of this, I can leave a bad lesson feeling worse than other teachers who might be able to shrug it off. For me it can feel like I personally failed to plan and implement the plan right.

Our tour guide friend mentioned tour guides already know the material so they want to move on to the next thing and get bored easily, even when the people on the tour aren’t always ready to move on. She mentioned that she can get impatient when there are one or two students who aren’t ready to move on with her and the class to the next topic. She worried that students could sense her impatience.

What are the darker spots that happen in your classroom related to your metaphor? Again, this is not meant to make you feel bad, but instead to increase your awareness so you can be on the lookout for it in the future.

Question #6- How does this metaphor play out in other areas of your life?

This is an interesting concept. We regularly talk about “Work Life. Home Life. Best Life.” So many of the things that we discover about ourselves as teachers can help us in our home life, and vice versa.

What does your metaphor tell you about who you are outside of work?

What about our tour guide teacher, Becky. No matter the situation she lead those around her on a journey….and people follow. It is her gift and it can work no matter the life situation.

Paula: I love to act as the hostess in a group. I can do well in a crowd of people I don’t know and like to introduce people so no one feels left out. That plays out in my life as I attend my husband’s work events when he is more introverted, it is the reason my children’s friends feel so welcome at my house.

Michele: I have the same example. My house is the one everyone wants to come to. I have the baby showers and graduations. All the kids hung out at my house. People feel comfortable there.

How well does your metaphor align with other areas of your life? We are guessing it does. What examples can you think of?

Question #7- How can your metaphor strengthen you and make you more resilient?

Palmer suggests that the guidance you need in tough times can be found in your metaphor.

For example, when Charles is struggling at school or at work, he could ask himself, “What would a unicorn do in this situation?” Probably spread the magic! And that is a quality that he could use no matter where he is in his life.

What about our tour guide teacher, Becky, no matter the situation she lead those around her on a journey….and people follow. It is her gift and she can call on it to work no matter the life situation.

Paula: My hostess comes in to help me be more resilient. I have a friend who just passed away from cancer and yesterday I sent her college aged daughter a Venmo with a message to get a coffee on me, that I loved her and to have a good day. My only goal was to brighten her day and to make sure she felt noticed and loved. It’s what a hostess does. A few days before her mom passed, I told her mom not to worry, that she would be well looked after. It was the same thing I said when that little girl was dropped off at slumber parties we hosted at our house as an early elementary schooler, and when she got dropped of at our house for the get-ready-for-prom-girl-gatherings, all of which I loved to host at our house. I am glad to still be able to look out for her from afar and set a tone for her day. It helps me to be more resilient and helps with loss.

Michele: When I thought of this one, yes, interior designers can make a room special, but I can also make people feel valued and special. I know I have achieved that when I have very long standing relationships for many, many years. People who have been out of my life, such as students from my early years, have come back into my life. They’ll tell me, ” you always noticed me, you always made me feel special, like I belonged.” That’s the bigger picture I can take away from creating spaces.

There are so many different questions you could ask yourself to expand upon your metaphor. We hope you explore a few.

In his book, Parker Palmer suggests to do this activity with colleagues you feel confident with. He suggests, “…the pay-off in self-understanding can be considerable.” We agree. So grab a friend and a cup of coffee. Sit down and explore your “Teaching at my Best” metaphors together. It will one of your vest conversations!

Recap:

The “Teaching at Your Best” activity helped us to explore who we are as teachers. It is important to remember that our teaching metaphors also have implications for our lives out of the classroom. Even though it started as a fun little game, a simple metaphor, you likely saw yourself as a teacher, and a person, in a whole new way.

If you would like more help in living with intention, check out our book, The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. We set you up with some insight and then give you journal prompts and amazing advice from other teachers who are on a journey to live their inspired lives.

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

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Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

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Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

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Don’t Let Boredom Drag You Down Ep. 86

October 16, 2024 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Listen to this episode for ideas of how to eliminate boredom and add a little spice to your life!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Do you ever feel bored?

We often think of boredom as affecting students in the classroom, or our children who complain that there is nothing to do or that everything is boring. Boredom isn’t just for kids, it also affects us!

While a slow day can be relaxing and refreshing, boredom can kill our energy and motivation. It can dullen our senses and take the joy out of life.

Living a bored life is the opposite of living an inspired life. Don’t let boredom drag you down! Stay tuned as we share 4 ways to fight boredom so you can live an inspired life.

In this episode:

Do you ever get bored?

Michele: I get easily bored with routines. Some people can keep the same routines day after day and it helps them thrive. I get very bored with it. The positive side of that is that I can be very flexible, the negative side is that sometimes routines help with focus and consistency, so without routines I have to work harder at being consistent. Paula, you are the queen of routines and consistency and you always use them to your advantage.

Paula: I get easily bored if I am not engaging with something. I do not sit well and don’t do well with being a passive participant in something. I get bored when I’m not engaged and then lose all motivation. I am a horrible television watcher. I can’t do it. I get too bored. I can only watch television if I am doing something else at the same time. The other day I was watching a WNBA game while peeling and canning pears. The same is true for me too for long webinars where there isn’t interaction.

In general, we are both highly motivated. We have a lot of things going on and we’re always doing things. The idea of engagement is important. We both feel the need to be engaged.

Boredom can come to us both in our personal and professional lives.

Classroom boredom can zap the energy out of your lessons and your days. When you are bored, teaching is less fun and seems to require more work. When students are bored, they aren’t engaged and classroom management issues are more likely. Boredom leads to nothing good. Boredom is often contagious and when you see it or feel it, it is time to take some kind of action.

When the boredom comes at home or in your personal life, it can zap all of your energy and enthusiasm. Life becomes day after day of same -old, same -old, mundane and usual things. That is when you get bored. A lot of our more negative habits can show up when we are bored-

Michele: For me that would be scrolling Instagram. Once I start, it is like the path of least resistance. Sometimes I don’t even care about what I am scrolling. I’m just looking at the pictures. I can also eat out of boredom. There’s nothing like a little guacamole for spicing up a boring life. I read something once that said something like if there is nothing interesting in your life you can find something interesting in your refrigerator.

Paula: I also eat out of boredom! One thing I do is to play semi-mindless number or word puzzle games on my phone. I could be reading a book instead but playing those games fills time when I am waiting, usually for my children to start or end an activity.

Boredom is often contagious and when you see it or feel it, it is time to take action. We need some strategies to solve it!

Here are four ways to reduce boredom and bring new and fresh energy to your life:

Shake up your daily routines.

Have you developed a daily classroom schedule that has served you well in the past but has now become stale? You may have been teaching the same thing in the same way for years and it served you well, but now it has become a bit tired. We all get bored with doing the same old thing every day.

Michele: I always have to shake up how I teach something. I sometimes honestly wish that I could teach the same lesson in the same way over and over, because it would be easier and save planning time. I wouldn’t have to think about it. But I usually can’t do that. I need to be thinking about what I’m teaching. I switch things up.

Try a new routine. For example, if you usually start with a review, then introduce new content, then give time for students to practice, switch the order. Introduce the new content, then give students time to practice, then connect it to the old content. Try it for a day or week and see what happens. You don’t have to keep the new routine forever, but often a small switch can bring some new energy.

You can also shift your daily routine when things get boring at home. Try something different for breakfast. Move your walk to before dinner or to after dinner. Listen to a podcast while you make dinner. Thank you to all of you who are listening to our podcast while you make dinner! Do all the laundry on Friday night so you can have Saturday free.

Paula: I switch out my activities regularly on the weekends. I make a plan to do one thing for an hour and then force myself do something else the next hour before I start to get bored. I need to do something fun in between the routine or boring things. I can always come back to it but I can avoid boredom that way.

Add variety to your life.

At school, make sure your lesson plans have a variety of activities in each lesson. Start with a short 5-minute video. Then have a ten-minute discussion. Follow that with a small group activity.

Look for new ways to actively engage your students. Focus on hands-on activities, lively discussions, or group projects. Try mixing things up.

There are many active learning strategies that can get students up and moving and actively engaged. We have a post called 4 Great Active Learning Strategies for All Content Areas for ideas such as a Wall Walk or a learning in a Speed Dating like format.

You can also think about variety at home too.

Paula: Michele, I know you are a decorator and you are going to rearrange the furniture or hang different pictures on the wall for variety. I am not that person. My mind doesn’t go there. Now that the kids are older, my husband and I find different reasons to do things at night so we aren’t just sitting at home. Last night we took the dog for a 30 minute walk. The night before, we drove down to the river to check on our boat. Sometimes we go out for ice cream after dinner. None of these things take long and they don’t happen every night, but they add variety to the evenings. I don’t want to get bored.

Michele: I like to rearrange furniture. I like to see what is possible. The same is true for changing out he décor during the different seasons. I just put out some cozy blankets and candles for fall. They are little things but it adds variety. When I do something like switch out the placements, I notice them again. It adds variety and keeps things interesting.

Paula: That is your gift. I have never rearranged my furniture. Nor have I ever switched out my placements. I can’t do that kind of variety, but I can add variety in other ways. I can make sure we eat more than tacos or meatloaf for dinner every night. I can add in a new recipe. We can go out for ice cream. I can do things that give me variety.

In the evenings or on the weekends, go someplace you’ve never been- a different park, or a local museum or a new coffee shop or restaurant. Try something to add variety to your life.

Use technology in new ways.

This one is not so difficult because there is always new technology and we are all learning new things about how to use technology.

Divide up a textbook chapter and let students share their learning by creating something with technology to show their learning. Curriculum can come alive when students are allowed to make a video, illustrate a cartoon book around the content, script a newscast or write song lyrics to demonstrate their understanding of content material. Students will also come up with their own ideas about how to show and share their learning.

Feeling adventurous? Let students experiment with AI technology such as CHATGPT. AI is here, whether we like it or not. Ultimately, teachers will have to understand it, incorporate it, and teach students to curate the content in responsible and effective ways. One fifth grade teacher in Kentucky instructed his students to try to outwit the bot by figuring out which articles were written by the bot.

Paula: I actually sat in on a great AI session the other day and have lots of new ideas. For the classroom, have AI explain a concept the way a 5^th grader would. Then have a 5^th grader in your class explain it. See how close they were or have the class guess which answer was the 5^th grader and which was AI. They are getting multiple exposures of the content with this one activity.

Michele: I’m still thinking about possible ways to use technology in new ways at home. I’ve been exploring apps on my apple watch. You can now run your whole life from your watch. I’m setting up Apple pay- I know I am very late to the game, but I didn’t trust it for a long time. Now it seems like the most secure way to pay- especially on a trip or away from home- you don’t have to get cards out of your wallet. I am also learning Italian with Duolingo. I really like it and am having success with it.

Paula: I have a co-worker who is using AI to plan their weekly meal and create the grocery list. AI will spit out all the meal plans, the directions for cooking and the grocery list and then you can adapt them. I love that idea. Other friends are having AI create a fun trivia nights for their groups of friends when they get together. When I was with college friends this summer, one had an AI type app that generated song snippets and we all played Name that Song. AI created everything!

There are so many ways to keep yourself from getting bored with technology!

Do something that is engaging to eliminate boredom.

When we are bored, we are less engaged. That means we’re less motivated to do something.

What we need is something that is more engaging.

When writing lesson plans, put on the perspective of students and see if you can answer questions such as, “so what?”, “who cares?”, and “what does this have to do with me?”. That will put a little spin on it and make you think about how you can become more engaging.

Bring in real world examples and have students connect the material the material to their lives. Then give them tasks which allow them to apply the material in meaningful ways.

Relevance will help to increase motivation, encourage students to think critically about the material, and can help create a more engaging learning environment. You have all experienced sitting through PD that wasn’t relevant to you. You know how bored you become. If you find that your teaching is not relevant, try ways to make it more relevant. That will instantly make it more engaging and less boring.

Doing something engaging in your personal life also helps with boredom.

Michele: If I am bored, usually I need to engage in one of two things. Sometimes I need to read, because reading engages me and gives me ideas and inspiration. It is difficult for me to be bored when I am reading something I am interested in.

The other thing that I often need is to spend time with a friend. Even just having coffee will get me out of the house and into an interaction with someone. Or on the weekends we will meet up with friends and it always gives me something new to think about, it’s a new environment and a new place and usually involves laughing. If you are laughing, you are not likely feeling bored.

Paula: I need to connect with people too. My book club engages my mind. I have dinner or coffee with different groups of friends. In some discussions we lightly talk about fun things, others are more serious and intellectual. I love them all. They have to be positive or I find myself disengaging. However, intellectual, caring, positive conversations with friends and family I love eliminates boredom for me.

Conclusion:

When you are feeling bored consider it an opportunity to rethink your plans. An inspiring life means never having to live with boredom. Even making small shifts can have big payoffs in your enjoyment and happiness.

Recap:

Boredom can zap the fun and enjoyment out of life. Shaking up your routine, adding some variety, using technology in new ways and doing something that engages you are all things that get you out of boredom and back into enjoying your life.

Do you need to shake things up in your life?

Would you like to take back your life from overwork and too much time spent on other people’s agendas?

We have a free resource to help you, The Inspired Teacher’s Guide to Taking Back Your Life. You can get your free copy by filling out the box below. We will be sure to send it right to your email.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

4 Great Active Learning Strategies for All Content Areas

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Inspired Together Teachers Network Facebook Group

Linked In: Inspired Together Learning

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented, and Fabulous Ep. 85

October 9, 2024 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Listen to this episode to be inspired and learn how you can use your unique gifts and talents to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

Today we are diving into positive territory with a topic that we think will grab your attention- How to Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented and Fabulous!

We didn’t make up that description, it comes from author, teacher and political activist Marianne Williamson. If it seems like a tall order, or an impossible achievement- stick around as we share how you can not only be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous, but how you can help others to shine their own light brightly.

In this episode:

This following is a summary of the key points in the podcast. In the podcast we often add stories or personal examples. For the full experience, please listen to the podcast.

Introduction:

Be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous- we’ll have some of that- how about you?

Who wouldn’t want to be described as brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Let’s start by sharing the source of this phrase. It’s one you might have heard or read before, a poem made famous by Marianne Williamson in her best- selling book A Return to Love which is at its essence, a book about living from love not fear.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Wow. There is a lot of power to unpack there. This is more than just being brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous. It also speaks to us as role models and how when we step into our own light, we allow others to step into their light as well.

This poem offers a lot of promise and a positive message for all of us, and educators specifically.

An Example for Educators

Michele: I first remember hearing this poem in the movie Akeela and The Bee, which came out in 2006. It stars a very young Keke Palmer with Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Larabee, her coach.

Akeelah is a gifted eleven-year-old in inner-city Los Angeles. She doesn’t understand her talents, or believe that she can learn or that she has any control in her future. She is headed down a troubled path, she’s failing and truant which requires her to attend summer school.

The school district wants to improve their status by winning the National Spelling Bee. They bribe Akeelah into trying to win the spelling bee by getting her out of summer school. They engage Dr. Larabee to coach her.

Akeelah is very resistant, she thought she could just show up and get out of summer school without doing anything. In a moment of frustration, Dr. Larabee asks her to read the poem out loud. Then he quizzes her.

Dr. Larabee: Does that mean anything to you?

Akeelah: I don’t know.

Dr. Larabee: It’s written in plain English. What does it mean?

Akeelah: That I’m not supposed to be afraid?

Dr. Larabee: Afraid of what?

Akeelah: (she hesitates, then speaks softly) Afraid of… me?

At that moment, she begins to understand that she has something to share and that she could be powerful. It is a turning point in her life.

Akeelah starts to take her learning seriously and becomes surprised at what she doesn’t know, but aware that she can learn it.

That is not unlike all of us-we might be afraid of putting ourselves out there and achieving something big. Once we believe we can accomplish something, we are far more likely to go after it.

How can you believe that you can be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

You might be someone who already believes in yourself. You have a lot of confidence and are not afraid to go after what you want and what you believe that you can have, and that you believe you deserve.

For some of us, this requires more understanding and some practice. We’ve got a couple of tips that can help.

Understand how your thoughts work.

The science and understanding of our thoughts and how they work has grown in the past few years.

Our thoughts are essentially patterns of neural activity in the brain. When we think about performing an action, specific neural pathways are activated, which can then lead us to take that action.
Our thoughts, which are how we interpret a situation, determine the emotions we experience, which also influence our actions. So, our thoughts and the emotions behind them become our actions.
Repeated thoughts and actions can create neural pathways that become ingrained as habits, turning certain behaviors into automatic responses.
Actions can also influence our thoughts; for example, performing a positive action can shift our mindset to a more positive outlook. The more we act in positive ways, the more we will continue to act in positive ways.

In short, what we think, then act on, becomes our habits which in turn create our reality.

So, how we take this knowledge and apply it?

How can we apply positive thoughts in real life?

Change your thoughts and your feelings and actions will change.

For example, at the beginning of a yoga class, laying on a mat on the hard floor is not very comfortable. But by the end, it can feel like the most comfortable mat ever. It is in the difference of perspective of your mind and body from the beginning of the class to the end.

Let’s look at the be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous language and translate that into thoughts.

Be brilliant.

What do you think about your intelligence? What do you say to yourself?

Do you say things like:

I’m not smart enough to do that, or

I don’t have a good enough education,or

I don’t know how to do that,

you are telling yourself that you can’t know or learn or do something. You are stopping your brilliance from coming through.

Look at the opposite:

I am smart, I have figured out lots of things so I can figure this out as well.

Which kind of statement is likely to result in your taking action towards something that could end up showing your brilliance?

It is an example of the Henry Ford quote, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

Are you allowing negative thoughts about your intelligence to prevent you from speaking out, learning something new, or being open to growth?

Be gorgeous.

Here is an example we have all experienced. You’re late, and don’t have time to get ready for the day. The outfit you wanted to wear is dirty. You start out the day feeling unready and frumpy.

How is your day going to go? Are you going to speak up in a meeting and share your idea or solution? Probably not. When you don’t look your best, you usually don’t act like your best either.

We’re not talking about being a supermodel here. You can look at feel gorgeous any day – confidence in yourself makes you gorgeous.

Consider what makes you look and feel gorgeous- then make an attempt to feel that way every day.

This is the old “act as if” idea. Act as if something is true and it often becomes true.

Be Talented.

Akeelah didn’t understand that she was talented. Therefore, she never did anything that showed her talents. She could have been an A+ student, but she was failing. She needed others to help her see her talents.

You might already understand your talents. Then next question is, how are you using them?

Are you hiding your light to make others feel better about themselves or to keep from seeming like you are special? Or are you trying to fit in by acting like everyone else?

If you aren’t using your talents, where could you use them in your life?

Paula: We have all had those students who did not do well in school, because the structure of school did not work well for them. However, once they were beyond the confines of the K-12 system they became great welders, mechanics, dancers, parents and the list goes on and on. Their talents did not lie in sitting in a desk and completing standardized tests but when they got into fields where they could express their talents, they became successful in a way that many of their more academic-minded peers could not.

Michele: I have worked with some talented educators who are great leaders in their schools. When I suggest that they would be a great principal, they are often shocked. They say things like, “But, I don’t know how to be a leader”. I can instantly tell them multiple things that they are already doing that show me they are a leader. It is often eye-opening to them. If you aren’t seeing your talents, ask people who know you well what your talents are. You’ll be surprised at what others see in you.

Be Fabulous.

The word fabulous is a great word. It can pretty much mean anything you believe it means. What is fabulousness? It can mean good, or exceptional, or remarkable, or memorable. It can mean that you are fun or lively. It can mean that you admire someone or appreciate their gifts.

Being fabulous is a compliment. It shows that you are putting yourself out there and doing something good.

Being fabulous is also a state of mind. You are constantly putting signals out into the universe. What kind of signal are you sending?

I’m poor, downtrodden, and pitiful? Nothing ever turns out for me. I can’t do anything right.

You are announcing that you are angry and bitter. Life sucks. It is unfair.

We’ve know people who act like that and they are difficult to be around.

Think of the opposite. What do you think when you hear positive things?

Michele: One of my husband’s regular comments when something isn’t going well or it’s not going the way we hoped is, “things have a way of working out.” What does that statement lead you to believe about him and how he might handle a frustration?

Paula: I think of the quote I heard once by Coco Chanel. I couldn’t remember the exact quote but knew it had the word fabulous in it so I looked it up to share. Here it is, “A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” Those nine little words, describe how she lived her life. It is no wonder, with a life motto like that, that she was named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of the 20^th century. She believed she should be fabulous and she made it happen, she lived it.

What would it look like if you felt fabulous and put out those kinds of signals?

Acting on your thoughts in a positive way can send out positive and consistent messages. Keep doing this every day and your thoughts become your reality. Change your thoughts and you can change your life.

Conclusion:

Even better, when you are sending out positive thoughts and actions into the world, you are opening the doors for others.

In the words of Marianne Williamson,

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Recap:

Our thoughts are very powerful. We can live from fear, hiding our light. We can ask, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Or we can recognize our gifts and our worth and use them in the betterment of ourselves and others.

Quote:

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

Henry Ford

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

Coco Chanel

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Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

Declutter Your Thoughts

Season 6 Episode 89

Check out this episode to find out declutter your thoughts to tame the racing in your head!

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Introduction:

Decluttering Tip #1: Declutter Regularly

Decluttering Tip #2: Start Small

Decluttering Tip #3: Take Out the Trash

Decluttering Tip #4: Sort and Organize Items

Decluttering Tip #5: Limit New Items.

When you buy something new, try to get rid of something else.

Recap:

Quote:

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Living With Grace Season 6 Episode 88

Check out this episode to learn how to combat tension and divisiveness by living with grace for yourself and others.

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Introduction:

What do we mean when we use the phrase “living with grace”?

Give yourself grace.

Extend grace to others.

Respect diverse beliefs and perspectives.

Try to see the good in the world.

Conclusion:

Recap:

Did you know that we have a free resource called The Inspired Teacher’s guide to Taking Back Your life? Get it here.

Quote:

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Who Are You When You’re Teaching at Your Best? A Fun, Insightful Activity

Season 6 Episode 87

Listen to this episode to learn a fun, quick strategy that will give you insight to who you are when you are teaching at your best!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Introduction:

Question #1- How would you complete this sentence?

Here are some examples of teachers we worked with:

Question #2- What are the “strengths” you have related to this metaphor?

Question #3- What are the “Bright Spots” that happen in your classroom related to this metaphor?

Question #4- What are the “Shadows” of your metaphor that may apply to you?

Question 5#- What are the “Darker Spots” that happen in your classroom related to this metaphor?

Question #6- How does this metaphor play out in other areas of your life?

Question #7- How can your metaphor strengthen you and make you more resilient?

Recap:

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Listen to this episode for ideas of how to eliminate boredom and add a little spice to your life!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Boredom can come to us both in our personal and professional lives.

Here are four ways to reduce boredom and bring new and fresh energy to your life:

Shake up your daily routines.

Add variety to your life.

Use technology in new ways.

Do something that is engaging to eliminate boredom.

Conclusion:

Recap:

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

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Listen to this episode to be inspired and learn how you can use your unique gifts and talents to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous!

Show Notes:

Episode Summary:

In this episode:

Introduction:

An Example for Educators

How can you believe that you can be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Understand how your thoughts work.

How can we apply positive thoughts in real life?

Be brilliant.

Be gorgeous.

Be Talented.

Be Fabulous.