I see you for the miracle you are & the gifts you have to give.

There are 7 billion people in the world and 6,999,999,999 of them are not me.

Who are these people?

They are miracles. Each and every one.
What if we saw each and every person as a miracle?
How would we speak, how would we listen, how would we act?
What if part of our own miracle is that our impact is much bigger than we ever imagined even in a world of 7 billion people? What if we didn't dismiss our impact? What if we owned it? What if we were aware and realized how much our words and actions mattered? What if each positive influence nudge helps a person become who they were meant to be?

What if we embraced the fact that we matter?

Educator Angela Maiers (@AngelaMaiers) reminds us of the power of the words: "You matter." in her TEDxTalk:  Angela Maiers: TEDxDesMoines - You Matter

Principal Salome Thomas-EL(@Principal_EL) speaks to our influence in terms of leadership: "Leadership is about inspiring others to find worth in themselves."

We are all leaders; all 7 billion of us because we all have influence.
You matter. Your work matters. Your impact matters. How you view others matters.
Let's see each other for the miracles we are and the gifts we have to give the world.

Thank you to Angela Maiers and Salome Thomas-EL for your inspiration and leadership. You matter.

Don't Let Your Perfectionism Get in the Way of Your Progress

The right words from the right people have the power to inspire us... challenge us to risk and grow. 

At the beginning of 2014 a valued Twitter colleague, Rosa Isiah (@RosaIsiah), responded to an inspire-challenge from speaker and author Tom Hierck (@thierck) to begin blogging. Rosa responded and in her first blog "tagged" me to begin to blog as well. This invitation sat with me for half of 2014 - dormant. Beginning is difficult... in the beginning you are a "non-expert."
The work will not be perfect; there will need to be learning, growing, stretching, and sustaining.
It's surprising we begin anything. 

When we find ourselves with a new challenge and assume the role of a non-beginner, a non-starter, we often don't get out of the blocks because we are afraid we won't measure up. But as Tom Hierck says in his TedxTalk "I am the Future," he is not perfect; he is still a work in progress. We are all "works in progress." How would our words and actions change if we viewed our students and each other with this growth mindset... if we saw each other as works in progress? 

A year after listening to Tom's "I am the Future" talk and 6 months after Rosa's challenge, the inspiration comes full circle. I realize part of my "non-starting" as a blogger was due to a fight with perfectionism. I need to see myself as a work in progress and begin where I am.

Who might you encourage today to take on a new challenge or continue the one they have started?
Encouragement matters.

What learning journey might you risk to begin or sustain today?
Don't let your perfectionism get in the way of your progress.
Educator Robert Eaker says, we must "Get started and then get better!"

I encourage you to watch Tom Hierck's TedxTalk "I am the Future':  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFNi0jKyTyU 

Thank you to Rosa and Tom!

And for your continued belief and encouragement, thank you to two members of my professional learning network who are much closer to home: mentor and husband, Tom Kline (@tklinetom), and dear friend and colleague, Nancy Rooker (@NancyRooker1).