Pay Yourself First!

Back when I got my first fulltime teaching job, my mom gave me some good business advice. She said before you pay your bills and rent – pay yourself. Take a percentage of your money and put it away in savings. If you don’t, by the time you get around to paying everyone else you won’t have much of your hard earned money left for yourself. Good advice.
I realized that in teaching – time is as valuable as money. Are we giving ourselves a first cut of the time for which so many other things are competing?
The first week back in now done and teachers are moving into the second week. The most common comments I’m seeing on teacher friends’ Facebook wall’s are: “I don’t have time”. I hesitate to even give any suggestions to bring serenity back because I can hear the refrain – well that’s nice – but I don’t have time - didn’t you hear me?!
Ok – so I’ll just ask this: what is it you’d like to have time for?
The clock keep running no matter how busy we are. There is always time. There is also always choice. Choose what you do, how much you do and when you do it – without apology.
“I don’t have time” is a feeling. Feelings can fuel our beliefs. Our beliefs can fuel what we experience. What do you want time for? Now create a space for it. Take control of your time by managing it through choice.
Your teaching is a gift you give to others. When you buy someone a gift, you decide how much you are going to spend on it – you don’t just hand them your credit card and tell them to have fun! Time is the currency of how you express your values and needs – for your work and for yourself. Decide what you want and need time for – and don’t forget to pay yourself first.

Wellness as Power

Why use Teachers' Wellness Path as a title? It’s not to say that the journey is long and arduous, but it's also not to say that the key to wellness is in some magic pill that does the job for you. We’ve heard the axiom “there’s no way to happiness, happiness is the way” in the same light: There’s no path to wellness, wellness is the path. It is more than that – wellness is you walking on the path.

If wellbeing and wellness is seen as the destination, the road to get there might seem so long and full of obstacles you quit before you really get anywhere– and who wants that? Nobody.

On the other hand, there may be many strategies, ideas and practices to enhance your wellbeing scattered along the path – but if wellness is your destination, you may be so determined to get there you don’t take the time to stop and try them.

Wellness has to be the path you walk. Every step you take is a commitment to and enhancement of your wellbeing. With that mindful approach you won’t miss the helpful strategies, or ignore them because you’re rushing for the stress-free destination. The mental commitment that wellness is a path will inform all the actions and choices you make as you walk along it.

A magic pill is a nice idea but it takes the power away from you. You walking your wellness path is reclaiming your birthright to be well.