“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.” – Pope John Paul II

When you make an excuse, when you knowingly do something less than what is your best, you are purposefully lying to yourself and others. Think about that for a moment . . .

When you create an excuse you are lying to yourself- you are using your self-talk to convince yourself that it is OK to take the easy way out. Our work is incredibly difficult and there are panoply of available excuses for us. We deal with parents, poverty, state mandates, under appreciation, lack of resources, large classes, lack of planning time, and the list goes on and on. Our challenges are innumerable, but they can’t become excuses.

Yes, be realists. It’s perfectly acceptable to talk about choices and tough decisions. It’s perfectly acceptable to identify barriers. We must collaborate to solve problems and continue to seek every opportunity to do business better. We can’t – and we won’t – make excuses. We can’t – and we won’t – try to make ourselves feel better when we are unable to reach a goal.

Our relentless pursuit of excellence – our willingness to embrace the productive discomfort of our work – will take us to new places. We will experience failure; we will learn and grow from failure. We will not lie about our progress and we will not make excuses.

“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” – Pope John Paul II

There are parts of my job that I love to do. I love . . . I mean my heart races and my passion takes over . . . when I get to talk in front of large groups about the incredible work done in our schools. I love sitting in informal groups with you – my peers – dreaming about the future of education. I love challenging the status quo, turning off autopilot, and creating new, intentional paths for our district.

There are parts of my job that well . . . maybe I don’t like so much. I am a relationship builder by nature. I engage in active conversation; I am eager to hear different opinions. I enjoy heated discussions. Nevertheless, I must force myself to have courageous conversations when necessary. My freedom . . . my freedom to build relationships and lead a talented team . . . is predicated on my being able to do what is necessary and required of me. My freedom to lead is possible only through my ability to be skilled, consistent, and connected.

My job is a blessing; the ability to lead and serve this community, with this talented team, is a gift. My freedom is centered on serving from my heart, building relationships, to inspire excellence, and in creating a culture based on high expectations. Character matters – doing what we ought to do is important.

“I am a bit embarrassed to tell you that I believe in miracles.” – Corazon Aquino

I believe miracles happen every day; I believe angles are among us. I believe that we are sent to be angles for each other.

Each and every day miracles take place in our midst. Miracle is derived from the Latin miraculum, “object of wonder”. Miracles amaze us; we marvel and we are astonished.

I am astonished each time I walk into one of our buildings. Our teachers are angels, angles performing miracles, with the young people served in our classrooms. From the miracles taking place at Horizon Elementary to the astonishment of high school students reaching new heights in our classrooms, theaters, fields, and laboratories . . . I have faith that our better angels are winning the battle. I have faith that we make miracles happen – that together we are changing the future.

We change the trajectory of lives; we set children on the path to be successful adults. We overcome obstacles. We teach, inspire, nurture, feed, encourage, and discipline young people consistently throughout our days. You have the opportunity to be an angel today. Go make miracles happen . . . I believe in you!

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What makes you tick? What inspires you to dream?

You are a leader. You are responsible for your 20 square feet. What makes you want to be the best you can be for your students? What inspires you?

Take a moment right now . . . Just stop for 30 seconds . . . What inspires you to dig deeper? What makes you want to give more? What drives you to get above the line, to break from autopilot?

Now, once you’ve thought about what inspires you, be that for others today. Be a leader today – inspire greatness in others.

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” – Walt Disney

Being an optimist doesn’t mean everything is always sunshine and snowflakes. Being an optimist doesn’t mean we fail to see obstacles and work through fears. Being an optimist doesn’t mean we only work with happy people and that we are always in a good mood.

I am an optimist. I truly believe we can move mountains together. In my unchangeable core I believe we are shaping the future. The work we do – our vision for the future – is simple. The path we follow, our journey together, is incredibly complex.

We are working with individuals. We strive to personalize education for over 16,000 young people on a daily basis. Simple goal . . . Complex matter.

Being an optimist is essential in our work; it drives our commitment. We are also realistic in the work we do; we embrace the complexity of our work. We solve problems, overcome obstacles, and blaze new paths. We do so knowing that we are creating a better tomorrow. That is the true optimist in each of us.

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” – John Wooden

We work in an environment that rewards us for playing it safe. For decades educators have simply followed the playbook that was provided to us. Schedules and calendars have hardly changed over the years. Our structure has remained largely the same. We have followed prescribed curriculum and been trained by traditional university programs.

We are on the cusp of an era that rewards innovation. We are pushing the door open. With innovation and creativity – with our passion for growth – comes mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of doing.

Sure, it is safe to follow directions and do what you are told. It is safe to read from the script; it gives you cover in the event you make a mistake. It takes courage and commitment to be a doer. It takes a willingness to learn and grow.

Be purposeful and intentional . . . Get off autopilot . . . Be a doer.

“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.” – Dalai Lama
What is your vision?
In your inner core, in your heart-of-hearts and soul-of-souls, why do you do what you do?You must know why you do what you do. I can’t imagine coming to work each day merely to follow a playbook or script. I can’t imagine coming to work each day simply to do what I’m told – or to follow a plan.
What do you believe? Is it in alignment with our values, behaviors, and outcomes?
Written or unwritten – do you have a vision statement? If not, why? As a professional, what is your vision?
If you don’t have one as of today take the time and have one by tomorrow – at least a draft – to turn your vision into action.

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking.” – Zig Ziglar
We’ve committed to eliminate blame, complain, and defend from our lives. We confidently believe that blaming, complaining, and defending has never solved a problem, improved a relationship, or made us better.  
Along those same lines – negative thinking has never solved a problem, improved a relationship, or made us better. The state of being negative is toxic to our organization. Negativism breeds apathy, hate, and jealousy. Negativism leads to broken relationships, gossip, and loss of focus. You know it! There is no place for debate.
So today, when your find yourself being negative, purposefully, intentionally, and relentlessly pursue humor. When you want to complain – find a way to laugh. When you want to frown – find a reason to smile. When you find yourself having negative self-talk, go to your happy place and replace it with positive self-talk. Stay above the line – stay positive. It will make everything better. 

CS Lewis expressed, “Humble people don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.”
Leaders are servants.  
Leaders matter . . . Leaders are the catalysts for successes.
Leaders model the behavior that drives the culture; leaders set high expectations and then support everyone in the organization to exceed those expectations.
Leaders empower others to do more, to reach higher than they think they can do.
As a leader you must have confidence in yourself. You must have an unchangeable core. You must have character, create connections, and demonstrate competence. Leaders serve with faith in – and dedication to – a bigger purpose.
Leaders are focused, aligned, and driven. Humility isn’t lack of confidence; humility is dedicating your talents to the success of others.  
Think about those who you serve – humbly dedicate yourself to confidently serve your team.

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” – Lyndon Johnson

When I rest my head on the pillow each night I do so with the hope that I’ve done my level best to serve our students, teachers, and staff. I make mistakes, but I strive to learn from them. I don’t always get it right; there are times I fall below the line. There are times I fail to press pause, times I act out of impulse or on autopilot.
When I wake each morning, I have hope. Each new day is an opportunity to live, learn and serve. While I know I will make mistakes, I will relentlessly strive to be excellent. Each day, I have an opportunity to be elite. Each day, I can use my God-given abilities to shape the future.
So today, this very morning, get your mind right. Today is yours to win or lose. You will fail . . . you will fall down . . . and you will get back up. Win today, win each moment, win each event.
And tomorrow you will have the chance to be even better!