Today’s Meditation

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“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” —Zig Ziglar

Undoubtedly, when you chose to become a teacher, you knew there were going to be challenges. And that you would change in the process. It is so in any profession. You face small, insignificant challenges, setbacks, if you will, and larger difficulties, which can wreak havoc on your emotions.

We often have a natural tendency to react emotionally and struggle with disappointment and unhappiness when this happens. We realize life isn’t a bed of roses. The way we go forward after those difficulties, challenges, and setbacks determines how they affect our career, our life, our families, and often, our relationships with students, parents, and administrators.

We could just complain, keep adding to the negativity already building up or we can trust our instinct, our intuition, to keep a positive outlook on whatever challenges are thrown our way. Often, when we think of challenges, we think of them in a negative light. But if you change your lens and start thinking this was just one of those things that just happen, and inevitably, happens to everyone. In our teaching, and overall, a positive aspect can work wonders.

Challenges are supposed to test us

When we choose to confront and solve the problem or challenge, we gain insight and our ability to overcome the next challenge is heightened.

A challenge is supposed to test our abilities. Think of yesterday’s brick wall, whirlpool, or keyless door. They’re there to give us a chance to see how badly we want something. To see how we are going to overcome the challenge and what it will teach us.

If not for challenges, we would not be able to navigate in the forest of wills, desires, and choices

And remember, if teaching was easy, everyone would be doing it. 😉

Feeling stressed about a challenging situation isn’t the most difficult part. It is the frustration over not knowing what will solve that challenge that keeps us up at night, wondering, feeling anxious. And if you know the answer and are just procrastinating about the work that needs to be done, then remember that running away from the challenge only distances you from the solution. The work or solution could be as simple as making that parent phone call, emailing the administrator, or speaking to a student about cheating.

Getting stressed over and over about the same situation makes it worse every passing minute. When challenges arise, we feel our abilities are put to the test. Welcome the challenges. And remember, again, if teaching were easy, everyone would be doing it. Accept the challenge and know that overcoming challenges is extremely gratifying.

They just keep coming

Some days, the challenges keep piling up. And we get frustrated because the solutions we came up with don’t work- they might even make the situation worse! Teaching, devoted teaching, and overcoming challenges, is to have patience. Patience that the precise, the true, the best solution will come to you. Have faith. You are a professional. All the solutions you’ve already come up with show that.

And, please, stop doing what doesn’t work. If you know, in your heart, as many teachers can attest, that waiting to call a parent about a bad situation will only make it worse for all involved, then you know the challenge is to make yourself make that call as soon as the bell rings and the students are out. Just make the call. You’ll feel better.

One of the best advice I ever received about parent phone calls was to start the second day of school and keep calling, with positive news — every day. When the first call from you is a positive one, the whole atmosphere in the classroom changes. Students come to school smiling! They tell you about the phone call, they feel proud, valued, and cared for. It can be an almost overwhelming transformation. And then, if you must make that challenging phone call, start with a positive note, and the parent, the student, and you will feel better.

“Don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits.”

One of the ways to tackle a challenge is to visit with the challenge for 5-15 minutes first thing in the morning. Maybe this is the time you need to meditate. Take the challenge by the horns and shake it. Grapple with it. An answer is imminent.

Don’t dwell on it forever. Just take care of it. Creating some type of plan (a good one to propel the challenge forward and therefore win) and then following the plan is better than not having any plan at all, just drifting along on the currents of apathy. So, MAKE a decision, FOLLOW the plan, and you will WIN.

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Procrastination, facing a creative block, and controlling the inner critic are just some of the challenges we face as teachers. Visualizing success when faced with challenges can help you in finding better ways to overcome them and find solutions. Take the time to “see,” visualize, the positive outcome available for the situation.

When you feel overwhelmed with challenges, take into account Roger Crawford’s wise words: “Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” Choose to rise to the challenge, conquer the obstacle, think success, see the positive.

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Keep Reading the blog: Day 9 Create Abundance through Gratitude

©Taru Nieminen 2017  The Happy Teacher Solution