Leading Through Learning
Ramblings about education, perspective and life.
September 2019
SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
As September ends – can you look back and see how you found joy? How you sparked joy? How joy sparked in your life, in your days, in the moments both big and small?
SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
The Earth, Air, Water and Fire – all elements of our world, and, therefore, our joy.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2019
Can you hear the joy in your life today? Is it in the silence of the rising sun? Maybe it is in the sounds of children and a rushed morning. The key is not to search for it outside of you but to recognize the joy that is already ringing in your life, now.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
Joy is both big and small, happy and sad, day and night. Joy connects us in our triumphant moments and our tragic ones. Joy is now.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
Joy sparkles. Joy shines. Joy embraces pain and uplifts sadness. Find your joy, today.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
A spark of joy can begin a movement as well as silence a moment.
September 23, 2019
A joyful moment contains both gratitude and grace. Gratitude for what is and grace for what we don’t know yet but can feel.
As we embrace the Autumn Equinox and the time of year when the day light hours mirror the nighttime hours, recognize the joy in this season of change. There is a sense of excitement and joy as we move away from the heat and towards another cycle of cleansing. Can you tap into it?
September 22, 2019
” Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, and joy.”
- Brene Brown in Dare to Lead
September 20, 2019
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” – Nhat Hanh
Spark joy today simply because you can.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2019
Embracing difficulty can spark joy. The feeling of fear and the feeling of excitement are the same – the difference is simply the context. Next time you are afraid, stop, and recognize the feeling without the fear. Can you tell a story of joy instead?
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
“You are free to think thoughts of worry or joy, and whatever you choose will attract the same kind back to you. Worry attracts worry. Joy attracts joy.
– Rhonda Byrne
September 17, 2019
Sometimes sparking joy is hard. Sometimes joy is a decision when it is not something we feel. Even in our moments when joy isn’t natural, we have the choice to seek joy. We have the ability to tell a different story, one that holds hope and that can lead us to joy. Are we willing to do this, to spark joy, when it matters most?
September 16, 2019
The natural world provides joy. Joy through the bright harvest moon. Joy in the silent night. Joy in the recognition of what simply is all around, all the time.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2019
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019
“A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love. She gives most who gives joy.”
– Mother Teresa
SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
What we give, we receive. When we put joy out into the world, the world returns joy to us. When we put fear out to the world, we get fear back. When we appreciate the smallest gifts: the lavender still blooming in my back yard, the smile of another, the dawn of a new day or the dusk of another day done – we are joyfully appreciating the magic around us. And that magic will return again and again as a result.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
“Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved. Not in the victory itself.” – Mahatma Gandi
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019
Joy is in the smallest observations. If you look for joy, you will find it. The key is to simply remember to look.
September 9, 2019
“When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.” – Shannon L. Alder
September 8, 2019
How can we find joy when we don’t feel good? By playing. When we play we are fully present and forget for a moment our frustration – whatever is causing us to not feel good. If you find yourself in a negative place today – play – and see what happens.
September 7, 2019
Joy always lives in what feels good. Today, find what feels good for your soul.
September 6, 2019
“Play, which I would define as anything we do for the joy of doing rather than a means to an end.”
– Greg McKeown, author
September 5, 2019
“Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow” – Helen Keller
Keeping joy alive means remembering each day what our purpose is as humans, as educators, as community members. Empowered by that purpose we can remain present, curious and authentic. We can spark joy.
September 4, 2019
Joy can be found in the balance of reflection. Where there is space to think, there is space to love. Where there is space to love, there is time to appreciate. Our greatest challenge is finding joy when we feel rushed. The two naturally oppose one another. Today, try to recognize when you feel rushed and stop. Look for the joy right then. See if your perception shifts. See if you can balance by creating space within the rush to connect to the joy.
September 3, 2019
“We need Joy as we need air. We need Love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”
-Maya Angelou
September 2, 2019
How can we find joy in the everyday moments? When there isn’t a birthday, a holiday, a celebration or an obvious reason to connect to joy? It has to be in the simple things. In the waking to a new day, a new beginning, a new chance. In the rays of the morning sun or the rain of a gray sky we have to be able to tap into the perspective of connection. In the gift of a moment new yet old. Mountains we’ve seen a million times yet never on this day, with these people or with this promise of possibility.
September 1, 2019
“A joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together” – Brene Brown
What are your gracefully strung moments today? This week? This moment? Mine are a hike with family and friends planned and currently a hot cup of coffee.
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