Just some Random Thoughts

I couldn't settle on one specific topic for this week's blog so I'm just going to share some miscellaneous thoughts on a wide array of topics...

* Trust is the most important ingredient in any relationship. You earn trust by doing what you say you're going to do.

* I'm disappointed in Republicans and Democrats. We need AMERICANS. We need political leaders that are more interested in making our NATION great than they are in serving their political party. Imagine if both sides spent half as much time and energy on actual solutions to make our country better as they do on blaming each other. The United States of America is more important than the Republican or Democratic party.

* Mammy, who I blogged about last week, is hanging in there. She isn't able to walk, has had some heart failure episodes, and is battling low blood pressure but she's alert, in good spirits, and surrounded by her friends.

* "High expectations" is an important aspect of successful organizations. Too many places accept "pretty good" as good enough. If you're not trying to be the absolute best at whatever it is you're doing, why waste your time? Find a sense of purpose in all you do. Pretty good is the enemy. Be elite!

* All winning organizations have a "comfortable level of discomfort." We can't get lazy and content and satisfied. We must be willing to make ourselves and our teammates a little uncomfortable so we can continue to get better. This is an area many people struggle with...we're never going to be as good as we need to be....success is a "journey" and not a "destination." Find new things to try. Find new strategies to implement. Try new lessons. Stay relevant.

* I love the saying "there are no traffic jams on the extra mile." Good things happen to people that work hard. The best way to develop confidence in yourself is to outwork your competition. You can't control many things about life but you can control your effort and what kind of tenacity you put into something. I will take someone with average talent and an insane work ethic over someone with lots of talent and an average work ethic every day of the week.

* I can't imagine a better career for me than public education. Our students inspire me in so many ways. We have some amazingly talented and hard-working students. We have students that overcome more adversity in one month than you'd wish on your worst enemy in a lifetime. We have a positive culture (not perfect) throughout YPS where kids genuinely care for each other most of the time and work to support each other. It's an honor to work for the students of YPS every day.

* Being part of the TeamMates mentoring program is something I look forward to each week. I've recently begun my third mentor/mentee relationship with a wonderful 8th grader at YMS. It's awesome to look at things through his lens for 45-minutes each week. I highly recommend to anyone who has the time to become a mentor.

Have a great week.