The Words We Live By
I was in a pilates class recently when the instructor saw us struggling she said, 'Come on, strong people, we can do hard things'. It gave me a giggle as well as that surge of motivation to finish the last of the lunges.
It made me think of the words we use to push us along and those words that we live our lives by. My dad's favourite phrase was always 'it'll all sort itself out'.
Dad's 'it'll all sort itself out' always filled me with comfort. It would pull me out of an emotional spiral when I was younger, and now that I'm older, this phrase has helped me not get too far into the 'what if' cycle.
I think 'it'll all sort itself out' was the basis of my motto 'Do your best and don't overthink it'. This simple phrase helps me move past analysis paralysis and helps me make a decision with confidence and clarity.
At school, the phrase 'Students are at the heart of all we do' has been known to pass my lips when difficult decisions around budget cuts, resourcing, or new processes are introduced.
During those busy and tiring weeks towards the end of term, I catch myself muttering 'get it done, get it done, get it done' whilst proof reading reports, completing compliance evidence uploads or moving furniture between classrooms. Truth be known, I think it's my version of 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming ' from Dory in Finding Nemo.
It's amazing how a simple phrase can help us get through challenging times, give us motivation, and help put things into perspective.
Do you have certain phrases that you live by? If you aren't sure, ask your team. I discovered that I say 'amazing' a lot, and whilst that might be a mindless thing, it also spurs me on. I hear it replicated in the voices of our students who often say, 'Have an amazing day!' When they say hi to me. Isn't that beautiful? I say 'amazing' to say thank you, punctuate a sentence, to signal the end of a meeting, and to congratulate kids for picking up papers, putting away sports equipment collecting their lost property.
Dont worry if things don't sort themselves out, aren't amazing, or you catch yourself overthinking it... you can always rely on the classic phrase from Charlie Brown.
Good grief!
