It’s May, and another school year is beginning to wind down.
At home, we have all sorts of events to attend. Author nights. Celebrations. Pre-k graduations. All the capstone events for a school year gone well.
But at work, my to do list seems to grow daily. As the end of the year approaches, the time to get the work done seems to go so quickly. I’m not the only one experiencing this feeling, am I?
At times, I can get so focused on the little details surrounding my to do list that I miss some of the big things that are happening around me, so I’ve done something to try to keep some perspective during this busy season. I made this to help keep myself centered.
There’s nothing bad about to do lists. If we want everything to get done we will probably end up with some to do lists. They aren’t the enemy. But if they take up so much of our view that we cannot see the things that matter most, we might finish out the year and end up with a few regrets.
I don’t want that for you. I don’t want that for me.
So here’s my challenge.
Right now, take a few minutes and write down what your purpose is as an educator. Don’t move on until you’ve drafted something. Really. I’m serious.
At the beginning of each school day, write it down. Don’t just see it somewhere. Don’t just read it in your head.
Write it down.
Declare it to be true each and every day.
Remind yourself that despite the pace of the end of the year, you are in your position for a specific purpose, and each day you are at school, you get to live into that purpose.
If it’s helpful for you, print out a couple of these pages like the image I made above. Use them to capture your to do list as the year winds down, but each day you fill out a to do list, write out your purpose. No matter how big your to do list becomes, it’ll never be bigger than your purpose.
As you finish the year, keep your to do list and your purpose in perspective.