When the calendar turns over to a new year, lots of people set out to declare resolutions, things that they are going to do in the upcoming year, such as lose weight, clear out some clutter from the house, find a new job, so on and so forth. I am no different, but I don't like to refer to them as resolutions, I prefer the term "goal".
To me, a resolution is something that only describes the endgame, what must be done to consider the resolution accomplished. Goals have more measurable steps or at least should have measurable steps. If you set a goal of losing weight, say 30 pounds, you may be likely to give up on a resolution if you haven't made any progress after a few weeks. However, if you decide that you want to lose 30 pounds and set a goal of losing 5 pounds a month for 6 months, you may be more likely to stick to your goal.
I have really struggled to think of goals for this year. Part of the struggle is because I accomplished so much in 2018. I moved to a new city, I moved to a new school and district, I moved into a completely new position, shifting from general education to special education. I presented for the first time at a national event, FallCUE. I started a podcast, The BeerEDU Podcast, with my friend, Ben. And at the very end of 2018, I started a video blog on YouTube. A lot of what I accomplished were things that just had to be done for mere survival. Many more was because I put my mind to it and get it done, abiding by my one word for 2018, technically two words, fully, completely. While inspired by a song by The Tragically Hip and more of a breakup song, I felt that the words applied to my personal and professional life, putting forth full and complete effort to accomplish tasks and goals.
I put a lot of thought into my #OneWord2019. I saw a handful of individuals' selections on social media. I even saw a quiz that would help you select a word. Nothing I was seeing was inspiring me, so I turned to music. I listened to all sorts of songs, but still, nothing. I also watched a lot of college football, college basketball, pro hockey, and the world junior hockey tournament. Inspiration began to come my way, and it finally dawned me; I had my word!
I'm not sure where I first saw the quote, and I may be paraphrasing here, but, "The strength of the wolf is the pack, the strength of the pack is the wolf." Wolves work together for protection, for survival, for food, and so much more. A similar quote states that the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, or in relation to wolves, the pack is only as strong as the weakest one. How does this relate to a word for 2019? After watching the Nevada Wolfpack start out their season 14-0 and ranked #6 in the country, the thought of that quote, the school's mascot, and the team's play during their undefeated start really began to resonate with me personally and professionally.
Since completing this post, Nevada was blown out by New Mexico for their first loss of the season, dropping their record to 14-1; their #6 ranking is sure to drop as well.
A school is only as strong as it's teachers and leaders. Leaders and teacher are only as strong as their school. The same goes for an individual and their family, circle of friends, etc. In 2019, the word "wolfpack" is going to define me. I am going to work to be the strongest individual, father, husband, brother, son, and educator that I can be to strengthen my packs, because like the quote says, the strength of the pack is the wolf, and I will strive to be the strongest wolf that I can be!
My word, wolfpack, also goes hand in hand with goals for 2019, two professional and one personal.
Professionally, I want to finally earn my Google Certified Trainer endorsement. I have applied a couple of times in the past, with rejections coming through for various reasons. I believe that I now have the tools to complete the requirements and finally become certified. I have already completed Level 1 and Level 2 certifications, as well as the trainer exam. Now I need to produce my trainer video and submit it. The video has two parts, a one-minute introduction and why, and a two-minute demonstration of a skill. By the end of February, I want to have my introduction completed and by the end of April, I want to have the whole video done so I can submit the application.
By the end of May, I also am going to be finished with my Master's in Special Education. For the next few months, I have 240 hours of various activities to complete to meet the requirements of the practicum, as well as pass three Praxis exams for the degree program and licensure in the State of Nevada.
Personally, I want to make sure that my new bike gets some miles on the tires. Over the winter holiday, I was out nearly every day with it, some days on longer rides, some days riding around my parents' neighborhood with my kids on their new bikes, some days riding about a mile and a half to the store to pick up a couple of things rather than getting in the car. To track mileage, map out rides, etc., I created an account on the UnderArmour Map My Ride app for my phone. My goal is to ride 1200 miles over the course of 2019, or 100 miles a month. Some rides may be longer, as I plan to get out on the road for longer rides once I build my endurance (I haven't really ridden a bike since college), but some rides may be shorter, but more difficult, as I will take it off-road and onto the trails of my locals parks and mountains. I am seriously considering bringing my bike to Spring CUE to get around the city and various hotels for the conference and maybe partake in a ride or two while there. If you are on the Map My Ride app and would like to be friends to push each other, please find me! I would also love to find a group to ride with at Palm Springs if anyone else is thinking about taking their bike.
I hope you have grand plans for 2019 and have selected a #oneword to get you there! I also look forward to revisiting my goals and #oneword, wolfpack, throughout the year!
Until next time... you can also check out my latest video blog as well, where I talk about #OneWord2019!
I have really struggled to think of goals for this year. Part of the struggle is because I accomplished so much in 2018. I moved to a new city, I moved to a new school and district, I moved into a completely new position, shifting from general education to special education. I presented for the first time at a national event, FallCUE. I started a podcast, The BeerEDU Podcast, with my friend, Ben. And at the very end of 2018, I started a video blog on YouTube. A lot of what I accomplished were things that just had to be done for mere survival. Many more was because I put my mind to it and get it done, abiding by my one word for 2018, technically two words, fully, completely. While inspired by a song by The Tragically Hip and more of a breakup song, I felt that the words applied to my personal and professional life, putting forth full and complete effort to accomplish tasks and goals.I put a lot of thought into my #OneWord2019. I saw a handful of individuals' selections on social media. I even saw a quiz that would help you select a word. Nothing I was seeing was inspiring me, so I turned to music. I listened to all sorts of songs, but still, nothing. I also watched a lot of college football, college basketball, pro hockey, and the world junior hockey tournament. Inspiration began to come my way, and it finally dawned me; I had my word!
I'm not sure where I first saw the quote, and I may be paraphrasing here, but, "The strength of the wolf is the pack, the strength of the pack is the wolf." Wolves work together for protection, for survival, for food, and so much more. A similar quote states that the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, or in relation to wolves, the pack is only as strong as the weakest one. How does this relate to a word for 2019? After watching the Nevada Wolfpack start out their season 14-0 and ranked #6 in the country, the thought of that quote, the school's mascot, and the team's play during their undefeated start really began to resonate with me personally and professionally.
Since completing this post, Nevada was blown out by New Mexico for their first loss of the season, dropping their record to 14-1; their #6 ranking is sure to drop as well.
 |
| I most certainly have never thought of myself this way, but it certainly cracks me up when I think of this scene from The Hangover! |
My word, wolfpack, also goes hand in hand with goals for 2019, two professional and one personal.
Professionally, I want to finally earn my Google Certified Trainer endorsement. I have applied a couple of times in the past, with rejections coming through for various reasons. I believe that I now have the tools to complete the requirements and finally become certified. I have already completed Level 1 and Level 2 certifications, as well as the trainer exam. Now I need to produce my trainer video and submit it. The video has two parts, a one-minute introduction and why, and a two-minute demonstration of a skill. By the end of February, I want to have my introduction completed and by the end of April, I want to have the whole video done so I can submit the application.
By the end of May, I also am going to be finished with my Master's in Special Education. For the next few months, I have 240 hours of various activities to complete to meet the requirements of the practicum, as well as pass three Praxis exams for the degree program and licensure in the State of Nevada.
 |
| Much like this stock photo from trekbikes.com, I want to get outdoors more often in 2019! And yes, this is my make and model bike, a Trek Marlin 6 in Viper Red! |
I hope you have grand plans for 2019 and have selected a #oneword to get you there! I also look forward to revisiting my goals and #oneword, wolfpack, throughout the year!
Until next time... you can also check out my latest video blog as well, where I talk about #OneWord2019!
No comments:
Post a Comment