What if I am not smart enough for this leadership thing? What if I lose friends and what will people think of me? What if people don’t believe in me? What if what I am doing doesn’t work? What if people talk about me? These are the thoughts that screamed in my head as I considered a leadership position. The noise was so loud and if I had listened to it, I never would have taken the leap. So glad I crushed that noise…because that was just the eel part of my brain trying to sneak out from under the rock and pull me back to my comfy zone. You know….the comfy place where you don’t really have to challenge yourself and you can still do a good job. If that is where you are the most happy, then there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you feel that pull deep in your gut, that just won’t go away, then that comfy spot may not be the place for you to stay. Cue the noise and the eel getting ready to launch at you once you decide to take a risk…because as soon as you push yourself out of the comfy zone, the noise will happen and that eel will attack. You are going to hear the ‘what ifs’ really loud.
If only I knew what I know now. I would have approached things completely differently. However, it is because I went through what I did that I can now reflect on what has worked for me. I can now use what I have learned to approach the future noise that is coming my way. I thought I would share this list with you so that if might help you in the future too!
Whenever you start to hear the “What If” eel part of your mind lurking around, change the last part of the ‘what if’ from a negative to a positive. Now I change the ‘what if’ to ‘what if it works?’ What if I am enough to lead a school? What if this is my true calling and I have finally found it? What if I listened to that pull in my gut that just won’t go away? Once I did finally shift that part of my questioning to a positive, I started to live a life more on my terms.
Bet on yourself. You are the best person in your corner so bet on yourself every time. Work on NOT crushing your own dreams or your own self esteem. Believe in the nudge that is coming from your gut. It is there for a reason. Bet on yourself. Get really clear on what that nudge is and how you can start to take action on it. That nudge could be anything. For example, it might be to become a Zumba instructor, write a book, take a class, learn to cook, change careers, etc. Write it down and get three action steps to start to take to begin getting traction on that nudge. Betting on yourself means that you genuinely know that you can do this. Betting on yourself means you don’t have to look outward to find your edge, it is inside you. It’s not something that you need to go find. It’s in you. It’s been you all along.
Know there is always a decision that needs to be made, so make that decision before you need to make it. Plan for the big decisions before they come up. This might be hiring a new teacher, deciding your big ticket places to spend your budget, deciding what you have to get done that day. If you are waiting for the decision to come before you make it, then that eel has more of chance to pull you back under. However, if you have planned for it and have done the thinking already, that decision comes a lot easier to you and you feel more confident making it.
Invest in yourself and the learning that comes with it. If the division isn’t able to pay for it, invest in it anyway… for you. If you don’t know about something, learn about it. It will rejuvenate you. Share your learning and discoveries with your teachers. Become the expert through talking to people, learning through digital courses, professional development, podcasts, virtual mentors, etc. Do not negotiate your goals whatever they may be. Learning will lift you up and if you want to know about it, invest in it. I invested in two different digital courses (from my own pocket) about leadership and ways to engage students in assessment for learning. It changed the entire way I lead and was the golden ticket to engaging the teachers into taking action too. Not to mention, I became more of an expert and gained more confidence which transformed my messaging to be more clear and inspiring. These courses also gave me another avenue that I could take with my leadership platform.
If you have gotten results for yourself or somebody else, you have the knowledge to teach that as a roadmap for someone else to have success with. Spread your wings and look for other ways to lead and teach in other forums, not just in your school. Look for like-minded leaders to share your expertise with and start a mentorship table where you can teach them what works for you. Invite them to contribute as well. Develop a course to get your ideas out there. Create a roadmap for your teachers and other leaders to inspire them to get the same results. Sign up to lead a professional development session, set up a Zoom session and lead a mastermind session. We are all in this together and sharing can lift you up and validate the amazing work that you are already doing. Double down on what you know and share it with other leaders.
Stop saying you don’t have enough time and make the time. I mean this with so much love but it is something that I found out the hard way. I kept telling myself that I didn’t have enough time and it wasn’t until I redesigned my time that I found out I had the same amount of hours as everyone else in this world. You have to find a way to prioritize what you want the most. It will be so worth it in the long run. For me, I needed to get up an hour earlier to make my priority come to life. Small sacrifices now will literally shape the future that you want to create.
Let things be frustrating and continue to do it anyway. Find the tools to figure it out if it matters to you. Do it anyway and go through the season of hard in order to figure it out. For me, it was technology in virtual learning and how I could use it to teach. I hated every step of figuring it out but once I did, it opened up so many new ideas and doors for me. Find how to videos, spend the time, and know that the season of frustration will pass and it won’t be so hard anymore. Just don’t give up.
Stop making excuses and waiting for someone else to do what you were meant to do. I don’t want to sound pushy but it really does work once you start to remove the layers of excuses we tend to tell ourselves. You are not too old or too young. You are not too new or too experienced. You are exactly where and who you are supposed to be and when you remove the obstacles and mountains of excuses that you tell yourself, you give yourself a real shot. Not to mention it also helps to brush other people’s opinions to the side so you can form your own idea about who you are and who you are becoming.
These are all things that worked for me once I bet on myself and let all the other things go. Today is the day that you get to bet on you and make things happen your way. Here is to you doing big bold things this year!
Download my free guide all about Reframing How You Show Up to help you remove the obstacles and finally work on your passion.
And…
Don’t forget to check out my website and join our private facebook group called Principals and Leadership.
Even If You Miss..... 