We all want to be winners, don't we? We want to achieve to our full potential and do great things. I've been reading about motivation and engagement lately, specifically trying to find the key to unlocking both in students. (My Twitter theme tomorrow--hits both in my posts if you want to see what I've been reading!) I've been wrestling with the idea that sometimes we forget our goals, lose sight of our dreams, or become unfocused. I'm grappling with the desire to inspire students to set goals for themselves, believe they can achieve what they set their mind to, and then create and execute a plan toward that end.
But we want that for ourselves, too, right? It's not enough to inspire with words alone--we must also lead by example.
I was recently with a group of friends discussing the pendulum that swings between work and rest--and the struggle that many of us have finding that rhythm to life. I have come to believe that we have to have this rhythm in check in order to be firing on all cylinders. After all, I want to succeed and reach my full potential--and it's really hard to do that if we live at a pace that does not respect the rhythm of work and rest.
In light of what I have been reading about motivating and inspiring students and increasing engagement--I thought this was the perfect chance to set a goal and lead by example motivating myself to find that rhythm. One of my friends that was at my house discussing this idea described it as finding moments to take a breath for yourself (or something to do with breathing!) and I really liked that image.
So I set a goal to find 30 minutes each day to do just that. As I also like to multitask--I decided to follow that idea of breathing and incorporate exercise into this 30 minutes. In this time I benefit my body, my mind through stress relief, and my soul through dedicated time to breathe (ironically that becomes challenging during a good run!). Ultimately I believe this small investment in time will help me to find greater rhythm in life in my balance between work and rest. (Feel free to check in with me in a month and see if I've held on to this rhythm!)
As leaders, we have to find that rhythm of life between work and rest to make sure that we are being the best leader we can be for our organization. We have to find that balance between work and rest which will ultimately make us better at what we do. Second to keeping ourselves healthy--we must lead by example and model for those whom we lead that goals, motivation, and being engaged actively in what we are learning by putting it into practice results in unleashing our own potential. What do you need to do today to find your rhythm? What does rest look like for you?
Photo: cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by Shawn Rossi