How to deal with "drainers"

Interesting reflection exercise this week. We all know that there are drains on us that allow us to get bogged down and sometimes not accomplish what we had hoped - short or long term. This week we were asked to identify some energy drainers that stand in our way of accomplishing our mission and/or vision. Once identified we needed to choose to do one of four things: eliminate them, neutralize them, see them as opportunity, let them go. I encourage anyone who reads this to undertake this task - for work or personal. Here is what it did for me.

I was able to identify the things that really tire me out. I realized the things that do are not the reasons I went into the profession in the first place. When forced to think about it I came up with some possible ideas to use to try to create more balance between administrivia/leadership and between work/home. I think the biggest realization for me is that there are some things we really have no control over so we have to choose to just let them go and sometimes those are the things we get too hung up on. Another eye opener was that sometimes those frustrations, if we slant the way we look at them as opportunities and put the positive twist on them, we might find the energy to push through to the end.

A great exercise from Dr. Kirk. Now I hope I can follow through on the plan.

Talk soon

Krista

Week 2 - Personal Mission Statement

This week I was asked to reflect on what type of legacy I would like to leave behind when I am gone. Thought provoking. I guess I would need to respond to this from two perspectives but both so intertwined you can't talk about one without the other. One from my family, and one from my colleagues.

I would hope that my family would remember that I always had the time to be with them when it counted and even more so when they weren't expecting it. I hope they would remember that I was their biggest fan and that I was dedicated to both my family and my job but that they were always the first priority in my life. Boy this sure reminds me how much I have to work to make sure this always happens because I don't think it always does.

On the other hand I hope that those I work with will feel that my job always had my full commitment and that I did the best I possibly could at it.

I hope they all remember me as a dedicated person who fulfilled to my best ability all the tasks I took on but not forgetting to interject humor daily.

(other thoughts as well, but not needing to be posted on the blog)

As a result my personal mission statement. "To encourage, empower and brighten someone's day, each and everyday."

An interesting lesson last Thursday in class was to set weekly goals as well as long term.. Helps you get to the long term but also allows you to be more practical that there are life things that need to be done weekly that sometimes may interfere with the professional goals. Also allows us to reflect much more often on where we are at, where we are going and what might be impeding us from getting there.

Thanks for looking in.

Krista

And the classes begin

Well, I am three days into my two courses and wow do I have a headache. It is amazing how quickly the human brain can loose information it doesn't use and on the flip side how quickly it can resurface from the archives. I spent two days with going over APA formatting again, and I had forgotten how particular it was. I also had forgotten how to write in a scholarly fashion, because it is one of things that once you graduate you don't write that way very often. As I work through it though it is coming back to me.

A student from the cohort made an interesting comment about how we are feeling and how it should remind us that many of our students, and staff feel that way often when new items are put out in classes on a regular basis. Just sitting for that long was a struggle for me, being the kinesthetic person that I am. Adjustments all over.

My Prof, Dr. Kirk assigned us some reflective and difficult self analyzing questions this week. I am asking your help on a couple. She asked about our values, strengths, as well as what makes us unique. I think I am somewhat perceptive, so if you read this and so desire, please post a few traits you see in me. Interested to see if I have closely perceived what you might say. I am not sure if I should be scared or excited to see the responses.

Thanks again for all your help in reading and writing my new blog, which by the way was a new learning experience in itself as I had never made one.

Bye for now.

My Masters Courses Begin

Well it has begun. I enrolled in my masters course through Brandon University in the fall, and this past week I began course work. I am taking a scholarly writing course with the Cohort Group, but I have also enrolled in Intro to Educational Planning Course on Thursday nights. Call me crazy but Lane encouraged me to try to take another course while I was still on mat leave.

I have created this blog to share my professional learning, discoveries, frustrations etc. as I work through my courses. My hope is that other people, and not just educators, will take the time to respond to my entries, by challenging me, asking questions, supporting statements and so on to assist me in my growth.

If you are here I have sent you the link. Please feel free to pass the link on to anyone else you feel may be at all interested in conversing.

Thanks for now.