CHALLENGE: 21 days later- 1/17/2020

It seems hard to believe- but I set my #oneword2020 goal twenty-one days ago. Many people share that it takes 21 days to form a habit, so I felt like today was a perfect time to check in on my progress so far. Three weeks may not seem like a long time, but I have definitely noticed a change in the way in both I organize my time and in my general self care. I feel more centered and accomplished. But more than that, I look at how the word CHALLENGE fits into everything I have been doing.

My family is now used to seeing me writing in my journal or cuddled up in our living room in the morning reading. It has become a new normal- it is no longer something I think about doing, it is becoming second nature. As my journal bursts with inspiration, I can't wait to see how my CHALLENGE journey progresses.

On February 1, 2019, I took the leap to begin blogging. Since then, I have been attempting to blog at least one weekly. Some weeks, I blog more and some weeks, I have missed one. Since setting my reflection goal, I have published five posts. I am so proud of this accomplishment.

Reflecting on my goals daily has kept them in the forefront of my mind. When I need to reflect on, for example, how much I have blogged, it has made me set aside time to work on this goal. It keeps the idea of these CHALLENGEs fresh. As I discussed in my 1/2/2020 post, it has truly been like discovering an old friend.

When I found out after break that my school didn't have any funds to help pay for attending conferences, I was disappointed. I really wanted to go to ISTE and had been planning to apply for People's Choice. But without any school help, this idea became cost prohibitive:(

So I shifted my focus elsewhere- locally and applied to present at our local SBTS 2 SBTS conference later this month. This way, I can work towards my goal one step at a time. Now, I am on the lookout for local conferences that I can apply to present to. If you know any, please let me know.

This has historically been a difficult goal for me. As I shared on my #oneword2020 post, I have been neglecting this area. But since setting my goal, I have been much more mindful, even tracking the food that I have been eating. Is this perfect? No- but in the past, I have been all in, or not in at all. This time, I am using a more moderate approach- tracking versus restricting.

Yes, I am losing weight, but more than that, I feel better and happier. This new outlook makes everything better. I am enjoying the food I do eat more and not eating things that ultimately make me feel bad after the fact.

In 2019, I was training for my second half marathon and by the time I ran it in May, I was just tired of running. This might have something to do with the torrential rainy conditions during the race that day. It was such a miserable experience- I couldn't imagine doing it again.

So once again, I have been taking this in a more moderate approach. My dog, Brisket, and I have been walking every day since setting my goal. Some days, we only walk about a mile- other days, close to 4 miles. But these miles have been adding up so far, they total over 41 miles.

This goal has proven to be so inspirational. Taking time to read each morning has expanded my horizons and helped me grow immeasurably. So far, I have read 4 books this year. Ten to fifteen minutes a day add up and all of these books have added to my toolbox.

1. Four O'Clock Faculty by Rich Czyz: I loved this book and all the ways it shared to bring professional development alive at your school. To see more of my reflections, check out my 1/4/20 post.

2. Drive by Daniel Pink: This book had been on my list for a while. Learning more about what motivates us and our students made me examine things very differently.

3.Lead Beyond Your Title by Nili Bartley: This book is a gem and I am so glad I read it. It made me examine possibilities with my students in a new way. Blog post about this coming soon.

4.Start Right Now by Jimmy Casas, Todd Whitaker and Jeffrey Zoul: I also loved this book. It really made me examine my vision and mission as a tech coach and how I share that vision with other. Blog post about this coming soon.

This was my most audacious goal. I have wanted to write a book for some time now. I kept saying it was my dream...for the future. But during a chat in late Dec, I was CHALLENGEd to GO FOR IT! Since then, I have been writing a draft of my book- determining chapters, working on them a little bit at a time. When I get a good working draft and a publisher...yikes...., I can't wait to try to share it with the world.

Speaking of sharing with the world, after hearing Kaitlyn Giordano's interview on Teach Better Talk, I emailed her about guest blogging. I am so excited to share that my first Teach Better Blog will be out in March 2020. Yay!

Not bad for 21 days- looking forward to sharing more of my CHALLENGE journey in 21 more days. As the authors of Start Right Now share in their book, there is a big difference between "Should I?" and "How can I?" Thank you to all of you who have cheered me on as I found a way to engineer my environment for success. I love our #PLN.