You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and by falling over. – Richard Branson

Rules are in place to protect and guide . . . Rules don’t facilitate learning and growth. Rules and policies keep us safe. They are a necessity, but we know we must go further and dig deeper.

 

Rules are the floor, we shoot for the stars. There is no rule for learning except keep moving forward. There were no rules when you learned to walk . . . you sought, and learned, mobility opens doors. It is the same today as adults – mobility opens doors. Don’t be satisfied merely following the rules . . . push forward, keep moving, and keep taking that first step.

The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. – Robert Tew 

We set high goals and we pursue an elite vision for the future. We pursue our passion for growth with a core belief, supported by our values, that we will build skills and develop strength to grow every day.

 

Each and every day is “Training Day.” We are training today to push ourselves further tomorrow. Today’s lessons are tomorrow’s successes. This process leads to a life of continued learning, growth, and development.

 

The edge of our abilities today is the core of our abilities tomorrow – and we find a new edge. Life is growth. As you struggle today, do so with the confidence that you are growling, building skill, and developing strength for greater success tomorrow.

My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them. – Richard Branson 

Great leaders have great visions. The path to success isn’t mapped out, but the vision for where they want to go is clear. Great leaders go beyond their current knowledge and comfort level – and push their teams and organizations beyond what is possible today. If we only set challenges with what we know today, we are limited by our current knowledge. We must have the confidence and faith that we will know more and be more in the future. Today’s unachievable challenges are tomorrow’s success stories.

 

Don’t set goals or chase a vision that is achievable today. Set audacious goals with lofty expectations . . . then devote your efforts to the path to reach them. The path to elite . . . the journey on the road to success . . . is paved with learning, failures, improvements, and successes. Aim high . . . and then exceed what is possible today with your skills of tomorrow. Establish your vision, get focused, and put in the work to get it done.

Great leaders are almost always simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand. – Colin Powell 

We are all leaders. We have a choice to either strive to be great or simply lead from the status quo. The ability to see through the fog of complexity, identify the heart of the issue, and synthesize an easy to understand solution is often our goal as leaders. Synthesizing complex problems into simple solutions takes skill . . . skill we must choose to build and develop.

 

Too often, we are told to “think outside the box.” Outside the box thinking may miss the mark because the problem itself isn’t identified. I’d rather look inside the box to identify the issue – then look everywhere to find the solution. The key is to first listen and observe the argument, debate, and doubt . . . then seek to simplify the real issues before leading the search for solutions. It takes skill, effort, and work to offer understandable solutions.

You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety. – Abraham Maslow

Are you happy where you are? I don’t mean satisfied with your station in life, I mean do you think you’ve “made it?”

Each day you have a choice, are you going to make yourself better or are you going to play it safe? Are you going to take a risk and try something new? Or, are you going to play it safe today?

Life is about purposefully creating hypotheses, testing our ideas through action, and then reflecting on our observations. We live our passion for growth through our commitment to step forward.

Whatever makes you uncomfortable is your biggest opportunity for growth. – Bryant McGill

When we feel comfortable and safe, we are able to perform without growing. If we don’t push ourselves to the edge of our comfort zone, we won’t become who we need to be in the future.

Our biggest opportunities to improve are the areas that are most uncomfortable. We can’t be afraid of failure; we need to embrace the risk of failure. Failures are learning experiences . . . failures lead to growth.

We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are. – Oprah

Take pride in where you are today . . . know you need to continue on the path to growth for tomorrow.

If we don’t continue on the path, if we don’t continue to build skill, reflect on experiences, and remain true to our values, we can’t become what we need to be for tomorrow.

Commit to growth . . . commit to reflection and improvement . . . it will take you to a better you tomorrow.

Everyone wants to live on the top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it. – Andy Rooney

Goals are important. We strive to reach short and long-term goals. We set the top of our mountain and work to reach the summit. We live our personal values and strive to align our professional work with our peers.

While reaching a goal is important, we find joy and happiness in the journey up the precipice.

Have you ever found success in a complex process, only to look back and take more pride in the process than in the destination? The training, learning, and growing are the fuel for our soul and heart.

Take the time to be happy and joyful on the climb . . . it brings clarity to each and every day.

Be so invested in your craft that you don’t have time to listen to the naysayers.  No time for negativity.  You are too busy creating the future!  – Jon Gordon

 

I hope you feel like I do; I hope you get to live your purpose in both your personal and professional lives.  My craft – my personal and professional worlds – are in alignment.  I am confident in my purpose; my confidence fuels my optimism and energizes my positive view of the future.

 

Are you fully invested in your craft?  Do your personal and professional lives align?  You get to create the future.  For educators, not only do we get to create our future but we have the awesome opportunity to shape the future for generations.

 

There isn’t time to get pulled down by naysayers or, as Jon Gordon calls them on The Energy Bus “Energy Vampires.”  Be invested in the calling, be true to your values, and be too busy creating the future.

 

 

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.  – John Wooden

 

You have the power to determine the outcome.  This doesn’t mean everything is always roses and sunshine.  Yes, there are times that you must make the best out of a challenging situation.  There are also time that you get to make a great situation even better.

 

How you respond will determine the outcome of any event?  As John Wooden reminds us, you get to make the best of the way things turn out.

 

When you are challenged today – when an event causes you to pause and consider your response – remember that you get to make the best of the situation.  It is entirely up to you . . . don’t wait for help or blame others . . . create your own future.