Honestly, 2022 was a DOOZY!!! It seemed like everything I tried to do was met with huge obstacles!! BUT, as I stopped to take inventory, I realized that some of those "obstacles" were just me. I needed to learn how to: (1) communicate more clearly, (2) get better at prioritizing and (3) learn how to say, "no."
My youngest daughter, K'lah, tells the story of a group of students that she was working with in an afterschool jumprope program. She was a substitute for the class, so not altogether familiar with the skillsets of the participants. She goes in one day and begins to show the kids the skill of the day. When she came back the next day, she noticed that some kids had clearly practiced and had mastered the skill(s), and others hadn't and gave up. Before she could go over to address the kids who were struggling, something beautiful happened.
Also seeing that some of their classmates were discouraged, a few of the ones that had been more successful in getting the tricks went over to assist. While they navigated the waters of peer mentoring, one student was heard saying, "Don't give up. You got this. We can do hard things." That was a game changer for me! And, instantly became my theme for 2023!
Verbal communication is sometimes a challenge for me for reasons that I don't have time to get into in this blog. Prioritizing (me) is a challenge for me. Learning how to say "no" (while saying more yes! to myself) is a DEFINITE challenge. But, as I recited my new mantra to myself, I feel ready to take on the year...a day at a time. Priorities set! Vision clear....this is going to be a year of epic proportion!
I can do hard things...