There’s something about truly knowing who you are and why you behave the way in which you do which is deeply liberating. It loosens the bonds of expectation a little. This past year I have learned to be kinder to myself. The biggest step forward I’ve made in quite some time has been to recognise that I’m not where I want to be in some areas, that I’ve been lacking discipline and motivation, and while making plans to improve that I have not beaten myself up over it. This is kind of a first for me – which is why I see it as such a step forward. Continue reading “The power of living a reflective life”
A couple of years ago I was walking around school when I bumped into a colleague who also happened to have been my old English teacher. He asked how I was, and I replied by telling him all about my concerns over one of my students and what I was doing to try and help him on the right path, and how hard it was for him. He nodded and smiled and then said, “But I asked how are you. How are you doing?”. I thought for a moment and then answered pretty honestly about my stress levels and tried to smile through my list of wider school commitments. He smiled and said the following, proving to be just as wise now as when he taught me at 15:
Last year a friend told me his goal was to change his way of thinking from surviving to thriving. He had been inspired by this quote from Maya Angelou:
Even though it was a few years ago now, I still remember getting sent a photo from a good friend. The photo showed him and a whole bunch of my other good friends on an awesome road trip.
Clementine Fraser - Author 