February 2024
Here we are, five weeks into the New Year.
Maybe you're settled back into your routine or maybe you're still adjusting to the changes this year brought. Maybe you've abandoned your New Year's resolutions (studies indicate that 80% of people have by now) or maybe you're using February as an opportunity to restart.
Wherever you find yourself, here are three things I've been thinking about recently that may inspire or encourage you in this season:
No. 1 - On Adding and Subtracting
We were shopping for nightstands for the guest room over the weekend (I'm finding it surprisingly difficult to find a matching pair that are well-built and aren't $$$, but that's beside the point). Aisle after aisle of things—knick-knacks and gilded mirrors, framed art and an array of coffee mugs, upholstered side chairs and artificial plants.
It didn't take long for me to feel *overwhelmed by consumerism* and the amount of stuff we have in the world (and by extension, our homes).
Have you ever thought about how consumerism creeps into other aspects of our lives? The goal planners and trackers, the need to schedule every minute of the day or multitask to feel even more productive (*sigh* if only it worked like that). Some of it is useful (how many glasses of water have you had today?), but sometimes it's just one more thing to keep up with.
What's the point? What is it helping us attain?
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day" (emphasis added).
→ What's one thing you can subtract from your life today?
No. 2 - Ways to Prepare for a New Week
How do you feel when you go to bed Sunday night or when you wake up Monday morning?
I love my work and I love teaching, but I often feel a small knot form in my stomach on Sunday night and wake up on Monday feeling like I'm already behind.
Here are a few small things I'm doing to ease into the new week that feel like they're helping:
Plan Monday lessons at the end of the previous week
Write out my to-do list for the week ahead at the end of the previous week or on Sunday afternoon
Wake up 15-30 minutes early
15-minute happiness meditation (I use the Balance app)
Drink a glass of water while I'm getting ready
→ What's one small thing you can do this week to help you prepare for next week?
No. 3 - On slowing down
I saw a great illustration from The New Happy Co. on Instagram a few weeks ago. It read, "In pursuit of the end goal, don't miss the joy along the way."
(Joy, my word of the year, is popping up everywhere these days.)
This went hand in hand with something another teacher shared recently—a reminder to slow down in teaching to meet our students where they are and not rush them through the process.
Fundamentally, we know the process matters more than the outcome, but it's easy to prioritize checking things off our (color-coded, well-organized) to-do list, the satisfaction of a completed lesson plan, or the feeling of achievement we have when admiring the final outcome (note to self: Your worth is not tied to your achievement).
These are shiny rewards. ✨
The process (as we all know) can be rough and unpolished, chaotic and messy. But there is joy to find along the way—you just have to look for it. This requires time, slowing down, looking around instead of straight ahead, pausing instead of rushing to the next thing.
→ Where can you consciously choose to slow down this week? What joy will you find there?
I hope this is encouraging to you as you welcome the month ahead. Here’s to subtracting, preparing, and slowing down.
