When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
I took Jose to my division’s Christmas party on Friday night. We had fajitas for dinner and the meal trays were quite amusing. They must have come from a school supplier or something, because they each sported a message like “Say No to Drugs” or “Don’t Litter” or “Please Recycle Me.” I was partial to this one though: “Always Do Your Best.”
(Only slightly related side note: Years ago when my mom was visiting for a few days, we went over to Starbucks one morning and stopped in the space souvenir store next door. Charlie Bolden was there signing autographs — he lived in Houston at the time and I think had just retired from the military. For those who don’t work at NASA, Charlie Bolden is a former astronaut and has spent the past 1.5 years as NASA Administrator. My mom asked him to sign a photo for her class, and he wrote: “To Mrs. G’s class, Always Do Your Best!” Neat.)
I’m a list-maker. I have lists for all kinds of things — stuff I want to do around the house, things I need to take care of at work, recipes I want to try, design projects I want to work on, books I want to read. But lately, I’ve been feeling pretty aimless and stuck in a rut. I haven’t really taken action on anything. So many things that all remain on my lists.
“Always do your best?” This isn’t my best.
The problem is that I don’t really know what’s next, or what I need to do to make my ideas happen. Figuring that out…is on my list.
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This month, I’m participating in Reverb10, which charges you to “reflect on your year and manifest what’s next.” There’s a different prompt every day.
Those are the same trays they use at the onsite daycare.
Try taking a night off to figure out what on your lists you need to do next.
I have the picture of Charlie Bolden up in my classroom to always remind me to do my best — a good slogan for anytime, anywhere, anything!