cleaner edges

i was nosing around today online and stumbled across a site that i thought was pretty cool. http://hdbizblog.com/blog/ check it out if ya like...in fact i was so taken with ole dood's chattiness and openness about his productivity, i decided to follow him on twitter. i don't really like clutter (although you'd not believe that if you saw my desk or my house right now-- but hey, back up, i'm in a decluttering stage) so i rarely choose to follow peeps on twitter-- well that and the fact that my district blocks it. SIGH. that's a-whole-nother blog. maybe i'll share the letter i'm workin on for that later.

anyway...on that site, guest posters and commenters drop pearls of wisdom and this particular list caught my eye. mmm maybe because it was a list? no really- i liked the items ON the list. stop laughing.

1. there is no plan
2. think strengths, not weaknesses
3. it's not about you
4. persistence trumps talent
5. make excellent mistakes
6. leave an imprint

now about #1... i am learning to relate. see, i'm a planner. have always been. but lately, due to some MAJOR life-altering changes in my life over the last 15 months, i have cut loose lots of habits, broken some patterns, and tried a few days unplanned. unplanning is kinda cool; once i stopped being all wigged out by it, i actually was able to embrace it. some things are seriously better left unplanned and i'm digging the way i feel when cool stuff happens naturally. i think what i really need here though is balance. a healthy balance between overplanning and unplanning...and that is one of my goals for this stage of my life. in the meantime, i will ponder more about big rocks and pebbles and sand filling up jars and quite possibly dust off my copy of steven covey's 7 habits and ummm, sharpen the saw.

#2 is all about using your strengths and downplaying your weaknesses. don't say i can't because i don't have this or that or whatever...say sure i can because i DO have this or that. hmmm, i use this in my teaching, why not in my personal life? definitely worth ruminating.

#3 pretty self explanatory, eh? always one to eschew any thought of politics, news, and other uncomfortable stuff, i'm easing out of my comfort zone and seeing the community in a whole different light. there are some cool things happening around me and i wanna be a part of that. having a partner who feels the same way is a major factor in this (thanks dear) and i wanna explore this openness i'm feeling. can only lead to new experiences and that just intrigues me.

#4 i need to just absorb...will explore my thoughts on that one later.

#5 hells, i do this already. when i screw up, i tend to do it right! ha... i think this has deeper implications that i need to look at. some mistakes-if not most- do have silver linings and i do believe that everything happens for a reason. excellent mistakes are quite possibly the uglies, the pain, the grief, the adjusting that one must endure in order to grow. and ya know, i'm all about growing!

#6 leave an imprint...i need to think more about what kind of imprint i'm leaving because truly, we all leave our imprints. is mine positive? am i leaving a lasting positive impression with the kids i teach? with their parents? with other stakeholders i deal with? hmmmm, much to chew on

i have food for thought and maybe you do too. check out ole dood's blog and see what you think. his guest post today had good things to say and think about.