I was sharing the latest news of my teaching journey with
a mentor. “It seems that people love to tell me I have great potential, ” I
said. We talked about the significance
of my role as a substitute teacher and serving in the community. At the end of the conversation, my mentor
circled back to having great potential.
Truthfully, I have heard that phrase so often in my life that it’s almost
worthless. Nonetheless, I trust this
person’s words. This meant that if he repeated the jaded phrase I’d take it to
heart. I listened ready to admit that
just my potential was great. Then he spoke,
“Julie, you are past potential. You are
committed to your goal. Your journey proves that… Just keep going”. His words were meaningful and unexpected.
More importantly, our conversation reminded me that often there isn’t an adequate way to outwardly measure the inner
workings of the heart. Rather, it’s
an approach to life that allows honesty and authenticity to be at the center
of ambition.
As we head into the New Year I’m closely considering the
kindness and impact of my mentor’s words.
You see, resolution is defined as “ determining a course of action to get to a goal”--- that
usually looses its value quickly. This is to say, we may or may not follow
through. Yet, on this journey the worth of a PROMISE has been so powerful! By definition, a promise is defined as “an
expression of assurance or an indication of expectation.” For me, there’s always an expectation
of intentional commitment behind a PROMISE!
Furthermore, I was taught that the
day should always start and end with a goal.
Regretfully, I must admit, I’ve been less than perfect with my goal setting
practices. I’ve seemed to dismiss the
value of the smaller accomplishments because I’ve spent too much time comparing
where I am to where I want to be.
Truthfully, the fear of not being good enough --- the need
not to be better but, the BEST in the long run will keep me from being the
BEST version of myself. It’s a natural reaction to compare but not a healthy
one. It’s fair to say, I should start
the year with a goal not to compare! And
further still, at the points when life seems anything but fair, I need to appreciate
that someone recognizes that I not only demonstrate potential Promise but I am living my Promise--- even if it’s
not complete.
This year, I’m
forgetting about worthless resolutions.
Instead, I’ll continue to focus on the PROMISE I made so long ago to
give others HOPE in whatever I do or
say. I’ll choose one more PROMISE to fulfill for this year and
tell only one person so; they hold me accountable for that commitment. I’ve
learned that commitment to what we hold
true in our hearts is what makes each of us great.
Happy New Year! Wishing you a year full of light & promise!
