I’m a big believer in taking action to build momentum. In fact, I have been criticized in the past for pushing too hard, for expecting too much, for not being clear, etc. I used to take that feedback to heart, cry about it a little, blame others, not really listen to the feedback but hate on it, doubt myself, and pull back because I didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like I was pushing them too hard. But now… I don’t do that.
Now, I take the feedback, listen to it, refine my approach, and laser focus in on the outcome I am looking for and….I carry on instead of pulling back. I put Tiger Time effort into it. I don’t stop expecting, I just refine and laser in. I know that leading and growing teachers and leaders is my calling. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but my way isn’t wrong either. I know that I need to always grow, reflect, and refine and the feedback that I receive is extremely valuable. But I also know that taking action, setting expectations for implementation, actually implementing ideas, and reflecting on them is the key to success and momentum. I know that pulling back and staying there for too long does not get you where you want to go. So I refined how I pulled back. I pulled back to re-calibrate, not to reset and stop altogether. I researched, listened to podcasts, learned and then made a plan. I also found some habits that I learned from Rachel Hollis along the way that helped me to be successful and keep building momentum. I even use these three tips with my own kids and my students and they refer to them often. These simple tips have made such an impact on my life and the students, that I thought I would share them with you here!
1) Take ownership of your life experience – Ownership says I can’t control what happens to me but I can control my response. Ownership says I will no longer blame anyone for my circumstances which is FREAKING BOLD. It says you cannot blame anyone for anything. If you are too busy blaming others or finding excuses, you are missing out on moving forward. Instead, you are stuck in the muck of it all.
For me, taking ownership means I stopped blaming certain circumstances and people for me not achieving my goal of owning my own successful leadership business. It means I stopped looking at blaming certain mindsets of teachers when my leadership didn’t go quite as expected. I stopped blaming my leadership team for me not getting my ideas out there. I stopped blaming myself for not being clear. I stopped blaming time and my calendar for not having enough time in the day. I stopped blaming covid for the learning gaps and I started to do the work to move them forward where they were at right now. I started to take ownership for everything with grace and I realized that it helped me to build momentum. I was too busy blaming others or circumstances before and not just digging into it all. A mentor of mine and an author, Caitlyn Bangsund always states that there is always glitter in the muck. She is right. There is… and it sometimes sucks being in the muck. It is there for you to go through, get muddy, stop blaming, and figure it out for you. If you take ownership, you take back your power. Blaming someone or something will never work out in your favor. It is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
2) Be Laser Focused on Your Goals – Personal or professional, your goals matter. So stop putting them off. Stop doing the easier things and get laser focused on what will move you forward and closer to your goal. For me, I use the full focus planner that I write and reflect in every day. It gives me guides to help me reflect efficiently and recalibrate if needed. I also have pictures around my house and my office to remind me of my goal throughout the day. I reflect every day on whether or not I took action on that goal and whether or not I need to refine or if I made progress. Review them every day and carve space to work on them. Know that each goal has a different roadmap and the journey there will look very different. Think about it, if you are a hockey player and your goal is to develop your slap shot then your journey will look very different then if you wanted to build your leadership skills as the captain of the team. As a leader, mama, teacher, health care worker, or whoever you want to be, set that very specific goal and then build clear action steps so that you know exactly what to do. Broad goals never get achieved because they are not clear enough for you to see your next step. Laser in on exactly what you want.
3) Full Commitment – Commit FULLY to finding your purpose and never look back. Ok, listen, I am not talking about doing it all, achieving it all and then you run yourself right into the ground. Nope. I am talking about finding that one place where you will put your A+ effort and then everything else gets your B+ effort. So for me, a professional goal is to build my online leadership development company. That is where my A+ effort goes at all times. I make sure that I work on it every single day. I carve out time at 6 am – 7:30 every morning and I put my head down, blinders on, and I fully commit. Then I move on with my day. It is a goal I have set for myself and so I have to commit fully to the work that I have to do to get to my dream. In my school, being visible in classrooms to support and build relationships is where I fully commit. That means, I set times in my calendar every day where I am inside a classroom and meeting a teacher. And, sometimes I don’t feel like it but then I think about how this is one of my goals where I am all in, it brings me back to my purpose and I make it happen.
Find time to commit every single day. Commit to looking at your goal every day and reflecting on how the needle moved. Commit to doing the work. Commit to getting uncomfortable and being ok with that. Commit to the long term and know that it will never go as you planned. You will make people upset, you will get upset yourself, you will be successful, you will make progress, you will have obstacles, and sometimes things will actually go your way. But don’t forget…that the only way to get what you want is to commit fully and for the long haul. Go all in and see what unfolds.
I know that I talk endlessly about the importance of goal setting and actually achieving it. But the truth is….I just cannot let it go. It is in my gut and I have had a lot of success, with tons of sweat and tears behind that success, just by implementing these three tips to success. If you want to have a catalyst for change you have to shift your perception. Making a plan and putting it into action is key. So many times, I have caught myself learning and learning and learning but never implementing. And it was exhausting and unsustainable. I put together a free guide on Reframing How You Show Up For Yourself to help you get started.
I have been reminding myself of these three tips to success each day this week and I have even used it in my lessons with my grade 4 students. It’s helping all of us! Hopefully it will help you too. Here is to your success!
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