Hello, empowered principals! Before we get started, I have to tell you how thrilled I am to be doing this podcast for you. I love this new endeavor – It’s so empowering!
Back to today’s topic of The Empowered Principal Podcast, we’re picking up where we left off after last episode’s discussion on addressing the cause of our pain versus addressing the symptoms of our pain. Now, let’s talk about pain and suffering.
Welcome to the very first episode of The Empowered Principal Podcast! I am your host, Angela Kelly Robeck, and I’m a Certified Life Coach who coaches elementary school principals who want to strengthen their emotional fitness as an educational leader.
The Empowered Principal Podcast is designed to help you understand your own psychology and thinking about the job so that you can either feel better about your current work or clear your thoughts to make a decision about what type of work you’d like to do in the next phase of your life. My goal with this show is to be a highlight of your workweek by offering you ways to feel better about the work that you do for children.
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of The Empowered Principal Podcast! I could not be more excited to share the show with all of you. My goal is to be a highlight of your workweek by offering you ways to feel better about the work that you do for children.
The Empowered Principal Podcast is designed to offer tools and strategies that no other elementary principal resource provides – exercises that strengthen your emotional fitness as an educational leader. Through causal coaching, listeners will learn ways to shift from feelings of frustration, overwhelm, and defeat to feelings of confidence, joy, and empowerment.
I used to believe the quote “You can’t have it all”.
I used it as my excuse as to why something wasn’t the way I wanted it to be.
I could have a great job, but not a great body.
I could be an amazing parent, but not an amazing partner.
Then I read a quote that said, “You can have it all, just not all at once.”
That sounded better.
I can experience all the amazing things about life, just not at the same time.
I could have a great job and a great body, but I’ll have to wait on that lover.
Wait a minute. What?
That’s still settling.
I want it all. At the same time.
Here’s the beautiful thing.
Having it all simply means choosing to see that you have it all.
Everything you need, you have.
Choosing to acknowledge that you have it all in this moment is what brings you the feeling of fulfillment.
Choosing to believe that you should have something you don’t have right now brings you discontent.
Either you have it all, or you don’t. Your choice.
I choose to have it all.
You know that person, who when they walk into a room, EVERYONE notices?
Their smile is intoxicating.
Their charisma is infectious.
Their energy is captivating.
Their presence is known.
What about the other person, who when they walk into a room, EVERYONE notices?
Their smile is suspicious.
Their charisma is repulsive.
Their energy is draining.
Their presence is known.
Now, what about the person, who when they walk into a room, NOBODY notices?
Their smile is nonexistent.
Their charisma is lacking.
Their energy is silent.
Their presence is not known.
What energy do you bring? What energy do you WANT to bring?
Be the person who steals the show. In a good way.
We’re all superheroes to someone.
We tend to ignore, dismiss, and deny the amount of power we have.
We often underestimate our influence on others.
We don’t realize the impact our words and actions can have on another person.
We think we know who is influenced by us and who is not and to what degree.
We think we understand the magnitude of our influence.
But we never really know.
Which is why it is extremely important to use your powers for good.
Ask yourself before you take action, “Is this action for good? Does it help myself and others? Am I adding value?”
If so, go all in.
If not, then reconsider. Find another way to accomplish the goal that involves using your power for good.
No one intends to be the villain.
No one wants to be evil.
However, we take action all the time without realizing that we’re using our powers to hurt others.
We gossip. We tattle. We get into other people’s business.
When we take action without thought, we risk hurting others unnecessarily.
When you choose to use your powers for good, the universe finds a way to help you cause the least damage as possible. It allows you to show up for yourself and others in a way that is loving, supportive, protective, and valuable.
Think like a superhero.
You already are one to someone.
When you make a big change in your life, people will comment.
They’ll share their experience, their opinion, their feelings about your change.
Some will support you. Others will not.
Without realizing it, some will try to hold you back.
They’ll do and say things to keep you the old you.
Your change is uncomfortable for them.
They don’t mean to make your change more difficult, they just don’t know.
They don’t know all the details.
They don’t know what’s in your heart and your head.
They don’t know the path you’ve been on and the path on which you are heading.
They don’t know it’s ok for you to change.
It’s frustrating to not know.
When someone really resists you making a change, choose compassion.
Choose compassion for them because you do know.
You know you’re on the right path.
You know it’s ok to change.
You can hold the space for them until they know you’ll be ok and they’ll be ok.
Then they’ll know.
One of my favorite tools to use with clients is the Wheel of Life.
This tool takes a peek into various areas of a client’s life.
The client rates an area of life on a scale from 10 to 1.
Then we discuss what would make each area a 10.
Here’s what’s fascinating.
The way we do anything is the way we do everything.
When we fail to return potential client phone calls, we know that we fail to follow up with our friends and family as well.
When we struggle to manage our time at home, we are also struggling to manage our time at work.
How we handle situations in one area of life is how we handle situations in all areas of our life.
If you find yourself asking, “Why does this always happen?” or “How do I always seem to get myself in this position?” you can rest assured that this is the anything/everything rule coming into play.
Why can’t get my work done on time?
How come I keep forgetting to pay my credit card bill on time?
Why do my relationships always come to an abrupt end?
When we struggle with time management, forget to do important tasks, and continue to end relationship after relationship, it impacts our lives across the board.
The key is to understand how you are handling a particular situation and ask yourself how it is impacting your life in other areas.
Where else in your life does the way you handle something to have a negative impact?
No need to change for now. Just take notice.
You’ll be amazed at the patterns that emerge.
We say we want more clients, yet we don’t return calls in a timely manner.
We say we want a stronger body, yet we bail out on going to the gym.
We say we want more romance, yet we don’t stop to give our man a kiss when he arrives home from work.
We say we want close friends, but we cancel lunch dates and ignore text messages.
I went for a walk with my son today.
He talked about a friend of his who is struggling with wanting to go to college.
His friend wants to take a year off to explore.
Drive across the country; take trips to other lands.
He is told by others that he shouldn’t waste his chance to go to college.
Just suck it up for four more years.
Then my son speaks up to his friend.
It’s your life. What do you want to do?
Is it true you’re wasting your chance to go to college?
Isn’t college available at any time?
There are many ways to learn. College is just one way.
I’m here for you, whatever you decide.
I’m so glad I am a life coach.
I’m so happy I’ve been bold enough to teach my son about how to question his thoughts.
I’m so proud that he will have this skill for the rest of his life and is sharing it with others.
Where there is desire, there is a way.
I hope his friend follows his heart and finds joy in the adventures he seeks.