PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT VS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
It is easy to take care of our professional development as teachers… there are endless topics to research, curriculum to design, new strategies to learn, colleagues to collaborate with…
It is unstoppably ongoing throughout the school year …almost by osmosis… it’s inevitable. For many of us, days are allocated in the school year for us to participate in activities to grow our skills. You can’t help but grow as a teacher through focus and experience.
But what about YOU...as a PERSON? Do YOU focus on that?
In terms of our PERSONAL development… do we have as much time, energy, clarity, and support to grow as a person?
This school year I’ve embarked on a more intensive personal development journey…with a plan. It has become 4 pronged…
I started with an evaluation of where I was at.
* I was not maintaining some of my good habits and I was developing a few not-so-good ones to boot! I decided to work on habits first.
* My energy level was decreasing, as was my flexibility, so general physical wellness and nutrition, followed by fitness improvements came next.
* Finally, I realized, as I defined my goals, created my systems with effective habit practices, improved my wellness/nutrition/fitness levels… I needed to expand my PLAN to address all the areas of my life… I needed a Life Plan.
So I began….
1) Habits
I started here. I was pretty good at choosing habits, but honestly, I was getting pretty lousy with follow through. I had good habits that slipped away somehow...
I researched whatever I could find on habits and found James Clear to be my guy! His book Atomic Habits, helped me understand WHY, with all the best intentions in the world, I was failing.
I now understand the difference between goals and systems, the psychology behind creating sustainable habits, how to use habit stacking, and how to create systems for long term progress. I’ve become an EXPERT SYSTEMS creator!!
Once I developed a system for progress towards the life I wanted to create, I focused in on the HABITS in the system I was working on. I was lead to investigate fasting practices, which I had always dismissed in the past.
2) Health / Nutrition
I joined a 28 day quest and have learned the physiological benefits, as well as a number of other benefits which surprised me, including improved cognitive function during the day! I now have an 8 hour “eating window” and a 16 hour “fasting window”.
I’ve learned to create “master meals” that contain all the vitamins and minerals needed during the day. I’ve basically eliminated a nasty evening snacking habit. And I’ve developed a plan for long term sustainability with some planned wiggle room. I have one more week to go but this is definitely a HABIT I will keep in my SYSTEM.
3) Fitness
Once I had mastered habit / system creation, and refined my general health / nutrition habits, I added fitness improvement to my system.
I’ve used many “fitness programs” in my life and many with great results. My issues always was… is, probably like most of you…Time! I did some research and was directed to a strength training based program with 2 X 20 minute workouts per week… how could that not get my attention? I’m just getting rolling with this quest, so I’ll keep ya posted… if it’s physically effective and time efficient… who doesn’t want that?
4) Life Plan
My last project begins soon. I fully believe we are here to take the reins and design our lives rather than just letting life “happen” to us. If you have dreams, visions, goals you want to achieve… you need a plan, you need clarity on what you want and on what you are creating. Conscious living …with purpose…in alignment with your highest values. A comprehensive look at my life and getting more clarity on what I want and planning for ALL areas of my life excites me.
It’s a 6 week explore/clarify/design/implement program and I’m excited to share what I learn with you when I’m finished.
What all these quests have in common is the ACCOUNTABILITY and SUPPORT during the journey. It is paramount in creating change, especially difficult changes.
If any of these topics interests you, or if there are any other areas of personal growth you need guidance, accountability, and support for…
please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’d be thrilled to be your PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDE :-)
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